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ST.  DOMINGO  PRODUCTS. 


SANTO  DOMINGO, 


PAST  AND  PRESENT; 

WITH  A GLANCE  AT  HAYTl. 


By  SAMUEL  HAZARD, 


AUTHOR  OF  “CUBA,  WITH  PEN  AND  PENCIL.” 


MAPS  AND  NUMEROUS  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


NEW  YOEK: 

HARPER  & BROTHERS,  PUBLISHERS, 

FRANKLIN  SQUARE. 

1 8 V 3. 


mf 

■H^S‘ 

m3 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1873,  by 
Harper  & Brothers, 

In  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington. 


O’NEILL  LIDr/rv 

BOSTON  COUE^ 


TO  THE 


ORIGINAL  OF  THIS 


THE 

DISTINGUISHED  PRESIDENT  OF  CORNELL  COLLEGE,  N.Y., 

IN  PLEASANT  MEMORY  OF 
DAYS  OF  AGREEABLE  COMPANIONSHIP, 

AS  WELL  AS  OF  SOME  ROUGH  EXPERIENCES  AMID  NOVEL  AND 
BEAUTIFUL  SCENES  IN  SANTO  DOMINGO, 

(ITjjese  Pages  are  I3eliicateti  , 

BY  HIS  SINCERE  FRIEND, 


THE  AUTHOR. 


"Vli-  - ‘ 


V 


the  historian  ” of  St 
Domingo ; his  only  endea- 
vonr  in  making  this  volume  is 
• to  bring  together  in  a continuous  and 

^ condensed  form,  for  the  benefit  of  the 
general  reader,  the  facts  connected  with  tlie  history  of  the 


Vlll 


PREFACE. 


Island  of  St  Domingo  from  its  discovery  by  Columbus  to 
the  present  time,  illustrating,  as  much  as  possible,  its  scenes 
and  people  by  his  own  sketches,  and  photographs  and  en- 
gravings gathered  from  various  sources. 

At  a time  when  the  masses  of  the  people  of  the  United 
States  were  watching  with  interest  the  action  of  their  repre- 
sentatives in  Congress  on  the  question  of  the  admission 
of  St  Domingo  into  the  Union,  the  author  was  surprised  to 
find  how  little  was  really  known,  either  of  the  present  or 
the  past  of  that  historic  isle ; and  in  endeavouring  to  obtain 
this  information  for  himself,  he  was  astonished  to  find  the 
great  lack  of  books  (at  least  accessible,  and  in  the  English 
language)  giving  connected  information  of  an  island  that 
had  for  so  long  «a  time,  and  in  so  many  ways,  played  such 
an  important  part  in  the  history  of  the  world. 

Joining  afterwards,  on  the  island,  the  Commission  sent 
out  by  the  United  States  Government,  the  author,  after 
almost  entirely  circumnavigating  the  island,  and  traversing 
its  length  and  breadth,  was  amazed  to  find  so  magnificent 
a part  of  the  l^ew  World  so  generallj^  uncultivated  and 
even  uncivilised,  after  having  been  the  first  chosen  spot  of 
settlement  of  the  discoverers  from  the  Old  World. 

Having  seen  the  comparatively  advanced  condition  of 
affairs  in  the  sister  isle  of  Cuba  (which  is  not  nearly  so 
highly  favoured  by  Nature),  and  comparing  it  with  the 
present  deplorable  state  of  St  Domingo,  the  curiosity  of  the 
author  was  roused  to  know,  if  there  were  not  other  reasons 
than  the  reputed  one  of  climate  why  an  island  so  attractive 
and  valuable  in  every  way  as  St  Domingo  certainly  is, 
should  remain  for  so  long  a time  unsettled‘and  uncivilised. 

Coming  to  London,  and  consulting  almost  every  early 


PREFA  OF. 


IX 


writer  of  note  upon  the  Island  of  St  Domingo  found  in  the 
treasures  of  the  British  Museum,  the  author  is  satisfied 
that  the  past  history,  especially  of  the  Spanish  part  of  St 
Domingo,  is  little  known  to  the  general  reader  of  to-day, 
and  that  in  that  history  is  found  ample  reason  for  the  pre- 
sent condition  of  St  Domingo  and  Hayti — a condition,  he 
thinks,  arising  only  from  the  fact  that  this  beautiful  island 
has  simply  been  the  victim  of  misfortunes,”  brought 
upon  it  by  its  being  successively  the  battle  and  disputed 
ground  of  the  Spaniards  and  Indians,  the  Buccaneers,  the 
English,  the  French,  the  Spaniards,  the  Haytians,  and, 
finally,  the  Dominicans  themselves. 

The  truth  is  not  always  to  be  told,”  is  an  old  adage, 
and  it  is  possible  that  the  notes  on  Hayti  may  give  offence 
to  some ; but  the  author  does  not  see  that  anything  is  to 
be  gained  by  glossing  over  the  present  utterly  hopeless 
condition  of  this  part  of  the  island,  simply  in  consideration 
of  the  feelings  of  a few  over-sensitive  patriots,”  because, 
even  in  the  definition  of  this  word,  they  and  the  writer 
mmht  not  ao'ree. 

O O 

He  has  been  surprised,  however,  to  find,  on  reading  over 
the  accounts  of  the  different  writers  who  have  visited  Hayti 
since  the  expulsion  of  the  French,  how  perfectly  justified 
are  their  remarks  and  experiences  by  the  condition  to-day 
of  affairs  in  that  Republic  (?).  The  author  is  sure  no  one 
more  ardently  hopes  to  see  a change  for  the  better,  as  well 
in  the  government  as  in  the  people  of  Hayti,  than  he,  feel- 
ing as  he  does,  that  not  only  will  the  people  of  Hayti  be 
benefited,  but  so  will  be  the  great  causes  of  humanity  and 
civilisation. 

As  there  may  be  readers  who  "would  like  to  follow  out 


X 


PREFA  GE. 


more  in  detail  the  subject  treated  of  in  this  hook,  the  author 
has  given  a list  of  the  most  valuable  authorities  which  he 
has  consulted  at  the  British  Museum,  and  to  which  he  shall 
make  little  or  no  further  reference  in  his  work,  though  he 
confesses  he  has  used  them  freely,  even  at  times  quoting 
their  very  language.  Notwithstanding  the  number  of  these 
writers,  they  all  go  over  pretty  much  the  same  ground  in 
detached  accounts,  except  some  few  who  give  greater  de- 
tails, but  only  in  matters  peculiarly  local,  and  that  would 
not  he  interesting  to  the  general  reader,  who,  the  author 
hopes,  will  find  in  the  present  volume  all  that  can  interest 
him. 

The  map  accompanying  the  work  is  compiled  from  the 
one  ordered  by  the  Dominican  Government  in  1858,  from 
the  surveys  and  data  of  Baron  Schomburgh  and  the  French 
engineer  Mendez,  the  latest  and  most  reliable  chart  of  the 
entire  island  yet  published. 


Pauis,  October  1872. 


CHAPTER  L 


ST  DOMINGO. 

Its  Extent,  Location,  Physical  Peculiarities— The  Aborigines — Their 
Habits,  Customs,  &c.,  ...... 


PAGE 

1 


CHAPTER  II. 

THE  CONQUEST. 

Landing  of  Columbus — First  Settlement — Columbus’s  Return  on 
Second  Voyage,  and  Founding  of  the  First  Permanent  Colony — 
Expeditions  to  the  Interior — Settlements  there — Rapid  Advance 
of  the  Island — Columbus’s  Hard  Treatment — Ovando’s  Rule,  . 18 


CHAPTER  III. 

THE  EARLY  SPANIARDS. 

Their  Treatment  of  the  Natives — Ovaudo’s  Rule — Habits  of  the 
Spaniards — Negro  Slaves — Rapid  Decrease  of  the  Aborigines — 
Sugar-making — Diego  Columbus  and  his  Successors — The  War  of 
Enrique,  and  Final  Peace,  . . .... 


33 


CONTENTS. 


xii 


CHAPTER  IV. 


THE  DECLINE  OF  ST  DOMINGO. 

Failure  of  the  Mines — Expeditions  fitted  out — Depredations  on  Spanish 
Vessels — Depopulation  of  the  Island — Neglect  of  Spain — Its  Colo- 
nial Policy — Drake’s  Attack — The  Capture  and  Ransom  of  the 
Capital,  ........ 


PAGE 


49 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE  BUCCANEERS  AND  EARLY  FRENCH. 

Origin  of  the  Buccaneers — Their  Manners  and  Customs — Settlement  of 
Tortuga,  and  their  Extension  from  thence  under  the  Auspices  of 
the  French — Settlement  of  St  Domingo,  ...  .68 


CHAPTER  VI. 

THE  JOINT  OCCUPATION  OF  THE  FRENCH  AND  SPANIARDS. 

The  Boundary  Question — Poverty  of  the  Spaniards — Advance  of  the 
French — Successful  Agriculture — Tobacco  and  Indigo  Culture — 
Cocoa-Trees — The  Introduction  of  the  Coffee-Plant — General  Im- 
provement of  the  whole  Island — Character  of  the  Inhabitants — 
French  Luxury — Discontent  of  the  Planters,  ^ . . .89 

CHAPTER  VII. 

THE  REVOLUTIONS  OF  FRENCH  ST  DOMINGO. 

Mode  of  Government  of  the  French — Discontent  of  the  Planters — 

Their  Desire  for  Independence — Aspirations  of  the  Mulattoes — 

Oge’s  Attempt  at  Insurrection — The  Revolution  in  France — Its 
Effects  on  St  Domingo — Contentions  among  the  Whites — Insurrec- 
tion of  the  Slaves — Participation  of  the  English  in  the  Affairs  of 
the  Island — Their  Defeat,  and  Success  of  the  Blacks — Cession  of 
the  Island  to  the  French,  . . . . . .113 


CHAPTER  VIII. 
toussaint’s  rule. 

The  Independence  of  Hayti — Toussaint  takes  Possession  of  the  Whole 
Island,  giving  it  a Constitution — Affairs  under  Toussaint — Napo- 
leon Attempts  to  Restore  the  Island  to  the  French — Details  of  Le 
Clerc’s  Expedition — Toussaint’s  Capture — Rebellion  against  the 
French — Cristophe — Dessalines — Final  Failure  of  the  French,  and 


CONTENTS. 


Xlll 


PAGE 

their  Capture  by  the  English  Fleet — Dessalines  Marches  against 
the  Spanish  Part — His  Discomfiture — His  Cruelties  in  that  Part 
of  the  Island — Becomes  Emperor — His  Cruelties  and  Butcheries 
of  the  Whites — Conspiracy  against  Him — His  Death,  . . 133 

CHAPTER  IX. 

THE  WHOLE  ISLAND  UNITED  UNDER  ONE  GOVERNMENT. 

Dessalines’  Successors — Cristophe  and  Petion — Civil  War — Peace 
between, the  Two  Chiefs — Troubles  in  the  Spanish  Part — The 
Expulsion  of  the  French — Co-operation  of  the  English — Restora- 
tion of  the  Authority  of  Spain — Rebellion  against  her  Rule — Death 
of  Cristophe  and  Petion — Boyer’s  Rule — Allegiance  of  the  Spanish 
Part  to  Him — Condition  of  the  Island — French  Claims — Boyer’s 
Decline — The  Republic  of  Dominica,  . , . .154 

CHAPTER  X. 

LAND  HO. 

Arrival  in  the  Tropics — First  Sight  of  Land — Turk’s  Island — Salt  Keys 
— The  Haytian  Shore — The  Dominican  Coast — Arrival  off  Puerto 
Plata — Its  Harbour — Funny  Method  of  Going  Ashore — A Night 
Visit — Historical  Notes  of  the  Town — Its  Bay — Situation — Trade 
— People,  • • . . . • • siy^ 


CHAPTER  XI. 

SAMANA  AND  THE  SOUTH  COAST. 

Cape  Samana — Balandra  Head — The  Bay  of  Samana — Santa  Barbara — 
General  Account  of  Samana  Bay — The  Caves  of  San  Lorenzo — 
Savanna  la  Mar — Voyage  round  the  South  Coast,  . . .195 

CHAPTER  XII. 

ST  DOMINGO  CITY. 

The  United  States  Commission — First  Impression  of  the  City — Visit  to 
Baez  and  his  Cabinet— Historical  Notes  of  the  City — Its  Present 
Condition  and  Appearance — Trade  and  Future  Prospects — Schools 
— The  Mausoleum  of  Columbus — Dominican  Amusements — San 
Carlos  and  the  Exterior  of  the  City — The  Harbour  as  a Port — 

Well  of  Columbus — Mahogany  Trade — Labourers,  . . 212 


XIV 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 


VICINITY  OF  ST  DOMINGO  CITY. 

Natural  Caves — The  Caves  of  Santanna — The  Boundary  Line — Beata 
and  Alta  Vela  Islands — Neyba — Salt  Mines — Sugar  Plantations — 
Azua — Ocoa  Bay,  ....... 


PAGE 


235 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

THE  HISTORY  OF  THE  DOMINICAN  REPUBLIC,  INCLUDING  THE  SPANISH 

POSSESSION,  ........  247 

CHAPTER  XV. 

JOURNEY  OVERLAND. 

Organising  a Party — Our  Route — Crossing  the  Ozama — Tropical  Forests 
— Lunching  “al  fresco  " — First  Night  Experiences — La  Tosa — San 
Pedro — Natural  Farm — Bad  Roads — Apartments — The  Country 
People — Rough  Experiences — Grand  Scenery — Sillon  de  la  Viuda 
— Cevico — Ride  to  Cotuy,  . . . . . ,274 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

COTUY. 

Its  Appearance,  History,  and  Location — The  Yuna  River — An  Old 
Church,  and  Novel  Mode  of  Advertising — A Village  Cemetery — A 
First  Regular  Meeting  to  Receive  the  Commissioner — Courtesy  of 
the  People — Swimming  a River  —The  “ Royal  Road  ” — Hu-man-i- 
cu — Old  Cocoa-Trees — Domestic  Institutions — Woman’s  Rights — 
Reception  at  La  Vega — The  Town  and  its  History — Hospitable 
Attentions — The  only  Steam-Engine — The  “ Grand”  Cathedral 
— An  Official  Breakfast — The  Famous  Hill  Santo  Cerro — Superb 
View  of  the  Vega — The  Old  Town  of  La  Vega — The  Valley  of 
Constanza — A Paradise — Arrival  at  Mocha — An  Attractive  Town 
— Pretty  Girls — Handsome  Cemetery — Eloquence  of  the  Commis- 
sioner, and  some  Plain  Talk,  . . . . .296 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

FROM  MOCHA  TO  SANTIAGO. 

Improved  Roads — Fine  Lands — Reception  at  Santiago — First  Sight  of 
the  Yaqui — Description  of  Santiago  and  the  Gold  Regions, 


319 


C0NTE2^TS. 


XV 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

FROM  SANTIAGO  TO  MONTE  CRISTO. 

PAGE 

The  Puerto  Plata  Road — Fording  the  Yaqui — Its  Bottom  Lands — The 
Vega  again — A Dangerous  Insect — Polite  “ Guajiro  ” — Tobacco 
Culture — A Dry  Country  but  Fine  Climate — The  Amina  and  Mao 
Rivers — Some  Tropical  Habits — Swimming  the  River  at  Guayubin 
— A Faro  Bank  and  Hotel — Multiplicity  of  Generals — A Long 
Ride  through  a Sterile  Country — The  Agave  Species — Monte 
Cristo — Left  Alone  on  the  Island — Manzanillo  Bay — The  Country 
South  of  the  Yaqui — The  Uninhabited  Region — Crocodiles  and 
Iguanas,  ........  336 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

THE  NORTH  COAST  LINE  FROM  MONTE  CRISTO  TO  PUERTO  PLATA. 

Lack  of  Water — Advantages  of  Irrigation — Tobacco  Preparation — 
Dominican  Soldiers  and  Haytian  Battles — Country  Hospitality — 
Used-up  Horses — Fresh  Start — The  “ Puerta  de  los  Hidalgos  ” — 
Bottom  Lands  of  the  Coast — Impromptu  Cooking — Old  Isabella — 
Laguna — Domestic  Economy — A Long  Ride — Played-out  Horse — 

The  Road  from  Santiago  to  Puerto  Plata — The  Requeros — Rough 
Accommodations — Bad  Road  to  Puerto  Plata — Arrival  there  and 
Departure,  ........  361 

CHAPTER  XX. 

JOURNEY  TO  HATTI. 

“Cosa  Dominica” — Dauphin  Bay  — Poor  Accommodations — Tropic 
• Night  at  Sea — A Cuban  Horror — Cape  Haytian  from  the  Sea — 

First  Experiences  in  Hayti — Haytian  Officials — Value  of  Haytian 
Currency — Advantage  of  being  Supposed  a United  States  Commis- 
sioner, . .......  387 


CHAPTER  XXL 

CAPE  HAYTIAN. 

The  Paris  of  the  West  Indies — Population,  Commerce,  &c. — Ruins  of 
French  Civilisation — Beautiful  Views — Fear  of  American  Encroach- 
ments— Duplicity  of  Officials — Arbitrary  Government — Trip  to 
Millot — Scenes  on  the  Road — Arrival  at  Sans  Souci — Strange 
Treatment — Polite  Officials — “ Taking  ” the  Citadel — Cristophe 
the  Emperor — HoiTible  Cruelties — Views  of  the  People — Return 
to  the  Cape,  ....... 


402 


XVI 


CONTENTS. 


CHArTER  XXII. 

PAGE 

HAYTI  FROM  THE  DEPARTURE  OF  BOYER  IN  1843  TO  THE  ADVENT  OF 

SAGET  IN  1870,  .......  423 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

COASTING  THE  ISLAND. 

Passengers  and  Tropical  Mode  of  Travel — Coast  Scenery — Port  de  Paix 
— Tortuga  Island — St  Nicholas  Mole — Bay  of  Port-au-Prince — 

The  Town — Odd  Appearance — Lack  of  Hotels — Suburbs  of  Port- 
au-Prince — Pretty  Country-Houses — Old  French  Places — La  Coupe 
— Road-Making — Haytian  Soldiers — Feeling  about  Annexation — 

Noble  Conduct  of  the  United  States  Minister — Aiding  the  Domi- 
nican Revolutionists — Visit  to  the  Interior — Sugar  Plantations — 

Lake  Azuey — A Storm  in  lieu  of  a Dinner — A Long  Ride  in  Bad 
Weather — Departure — Gonaives,  . . ’ . . .441 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

APPENDATORY. 

A General  View  of  St  Domingo — Some  Reflections  on  its  Future — 
Views  of  President  Grant — Climate — Insects — Seasons — Lands — 
Emigrants — The  Population  and  its  Character — Finances — Conces- 
sions and  Grants — Hints  to  Emigrants  or  Travellers — Dominican 
Manifestoes — General  Statistics — Treaty  for  Fixing  the  Boundaries 
— Notes  on  the  Mineral  Products  of  the  Island, 


466 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


PRODUCTS  OF  SANTO  DOMINGO, 

. Frontispiece. 

THE  NORTH  COAST  OFF  PUERTO  PLATA, 

To  face  Page 

4 

OLD  SANTO  DOMINGO  CITY,  . 

62 

ENTRANCE  TO  COFFEE  ESTATE, 

3? 

108 

TOWN  AND  BAY  OF  PUERTO  PLATA,  . 

3’ 

176 

PLAN  OF  SAMANA  BAY, 

3? 

195 

A TROPICAL  MORNING, 

33 

197 

SOUTH  COAST — LOS  LLANOS, 

?3 

207 

SANTO  DOMINGO  CITY, 

33 

212 

CAVES  OF  SANTANNA, 

33 

239 

PARASITES— A ST  DOMINGO  BROOK, 

33 

282 

VIEW  FROM  SILLON  DE  LA  VIUDA,  . 

35 

287 

THE  VEGA  REAL  FROM  THE  SANTO  CERRO 

HILL, 

33 

311 

MOCHA,  .... 

• 

33 

316 

THE  RIVER  YAQUI,  . 

• 

33 

321 

SANTIAGO,  .... 

33 

324 

CACTII  COUNTRY,  NEAR  MONTE  CRISTO, 

. 3 

339 

FLOWERING  ALOE,  . 

• 

33 

351 

MONTE  CRISTO  BAY, 

• 

• 

33 

352 

NEGRO  HABITATIONS, 

• 

• 

• 

33 

368 

CONUCO  OF  PLANTAIN  AND  TOBACCO, 

• 

• 

• 

33 

384 

TOWN  AND  BAY  OF  THE  CAPE, 

• 

• 

- 

33 

402 

PALACE  OF  SANS  SOUCI  (mILLOT),  . 

• 

33 

415 

PORT-AU-PRINCE,  . 

♦ 

• 

• 

33 

449 

LIST  OF  SMALL  ENGRAVINGS 


PAGE 

Portrait  of  Columbus,  . . 7 

Caribbean  Skull,  ...  9 

Drums,  . . . . . 10 

Canoe  (Oviedo),  , . .11 

Huts  (Oviedo),  ...  12 

Wine-making  (Benzoni),  . . 13 

Idols,  ....  13,  14 

Figures  cut  in  the  Rock,  . . 14 

Curing  the  sick  (Hakluyt,  after 

Benzoni),  . . . .15 

Hammock  (Oviedo),  . . 17 

Sketch  by  Columbus,  . . 19 

The  Caravels, ...  . .20 

The  Agouti,  ....  22 

The  Coati,  ....  23 

A Spanish  Attack  (De  Bry),  . 26 

A Spanish  Master  (De  Bry),  . 35 

Spaniard  in  Litter,  ...  35 

Sugar-making  (De  Bry),  . . 38 

Suicides  (Benzoni),  ...  39 

Gold-mining  (De  Bry),  . . 40 

Punishment  of  Negroes  (De 

Bry),  . . . .45 

House  of  Don  Diego  Colum- 
bus,   47 

Hatero,  .....  50 

An  old  Street  in  St  Domingo 

City,  ....  60 

Sir  Francis  Drake,  . . .61 

A Buccaneer,  . . .71 

A Boucan,  . . , .72 

Merry-making,  . , .74 

Sir  Henry  Morgan,  . . - 75 


Plan  of  Tortuga,  , . 

PAGE 

77 

Port  de  Paix,  . 

. 83 

Preparing  Tobacco,  . 

. 92 

Preparing  Indigo,  . 

. 93 

Old  French  Sugar  Mill,  . 

. 95 

Old  French  Plantation,  . 

. 98 

Toussaint  L’Ouverture,  . 

. 134 

Jean  Pierre  Boyer,  . 

. 164 

Salt  Keys,  . . , 

. 173 

Going  Ashore, . 

. 175 

Loading  Cargo, 

. 175 

Street  in  Puerto  Plata, 

. 177 

The  Old  Fort, . 

. 178 

Dominican  American, 

. 181 

Market  Square, 

. 183 

Washing  Clothes,  . 

. 184 

Horse,  .... 

. 186 

Water-carrier,  . 

. 186 

The  Manati;  . 

. 191 

Cabo  Viejo  (Old  Cape),  . 

. 192 

Cape  Samana,  . 

. 196 

Balandra  Head, 

. 197 

Santa  Barbara, 

. 198 

Donkey,  . , . . 

. 202 

Meeting  in  Arsenal  Square, 

. 209 

A Weary  Traveller, . 

. 211 

The  Ozama, — Ruins  of  Colum 

bus’  House, 

. 213 

President  Baez, 

. 215 

Plan  of  St  Domingo  City, 

. 219 

Old  Part  of  St  Domingo, . 

. 220 

Business  Street, 

. 221 

A Dominican  School, 

. 223 

LIS'T  OF  SMALL  ENGRAVINGS. 


PAGE 

PAGE 

The  Mausoleum  of  Columbus,  . 

224 

The  Cotton  Tree, 

• • 

350 

Cathedral  Door, 

. 

226 

Cayman, . . 

• • 

355 

Old  Franciscan  Monastery, 

232 

The  Iguana,  , 

358 

St  Domingo  Ferns,  . 

• • 

236 

Lizards,  . 

• • 

364 

Entrance  to  Cave,  . 

• • 

238 

Machete, . 

• • 

367 

Tamarind, 

• • 

240 

Primitive  Sugar  Miil, 

• • 

369 

Manuel  Seybano, 

. 

242 

Sugar  Boilers, . 

369 

Crossing  the  Isabella, 

. 

277 

Pass  of  the  Cavaliers, 

371 

Musician, 

• • 

278 

Wild  Hogs, 

. 

374 

Sand-box  Fruit,  , 

• • 

278 

Parasitical  Vines, 

• • 

376 

A Natural  Farm, 

• • 

279 

Tarantula, 

377 

Old  Negro, 

• • 

282 

Played  out. 

• • 

380 

A Native  Hut,  , 

• • 

284 

On  the  Bajabonita,  . 

• • 

381 

Apartments, 

• • 

286 

Point  Isabella, 

• • 

385 

Sensitive  Plant,  . • 

• • 

288 

Dauphin  Bay, 

• • 

392 

Iloyal  Plain,  . 

• • 

290 

Cape  Haytian  from  the  Sea,  . 

393 

Severino  Gonzalez,  . 

• 

292 

The  Nondescript, 

394 

The  “ Commandante,” 

. 

293 

Haytian  Waiter, 

. 

398 

Plaza  and  Old  Church,  Cotuy, . 

297 

“ Bord  de  Mer,” 

404 

Cemetery  at  Cotuy, . 

299 

A Mercantile  House, 

405 

Meeting  at  Cotuy,  . 

. 

300 

Old  Fi’ench  Place,  . 

• • 

407 

“ Camino  Real,” 

• • 

302 

William, . 

409 

“ La  F uente,”  . 

• • 

304 

Squatters  in  Ruined  Places, 

411 

The  Cocoa, 

• • 

305 

Haytians, 

420 

The  only  Steam-Engine 

in  St 

Haytian  Coast, 

444 

Domingo, . 

• • 

307 

St  Nicolas  Mole, 

. 

445 

La  Vega, 

• • 

308 

United  States  Minister’s 

House, 

447 

La  Vega  Cathedral, . 

• • 

309 

A Street  in  Port-au-Prince, 

450 

Mocha  Cemetery, 

• • 

317 

Bay  of  Port  au  Prince  from  the 

Vicinity  of  Santiago,  Tobacco 

House  of  the  United  States 

Train, 

. 

321 

Minister,  . 

. 

451 

Market  Square  of  Santiago 

323 

Countrywoman  and  ‘ 

Picca- 

Gold-washing  (Oviedo), 

. 

328 

ninny,” 

. 

456 

A “Guajiro,  . 

• • 

341 

Uncles  and  Mammies, 

• • 

460 

The  Vega  Real,  , 

• • 

343 

Scorpion,  . , , 

• • 

480 

Gigantic  Cactus, 

A « 

344 

Centipede.  « 

• • 

480 

THE  BIBLIOGRAPHY  OF  SANTO  DOMINGO 

AND  HAYTI. 

o 

Acosta  (Joseph  de) — Historia  Natural  y Moral  de  las  Indias,  4to, 
Seville,  1590. 

Alcedos  (Antonio  de) — Geographical  and  Historical  Dictionary  of  the 
West  Indies,  with  large  additions  from  Modern  Voyages  and  Travels, 
by  G.  A.  Thompson,  Lond.  1812. 

America — The  History  of  the  Buccaneers  of,  gathered  from  several 
languages  into  one  vol.,  with  copperplates,  Lond.  1699. 

^ Voyagien  de  Spanjaarden  na  West  Indien,  Johan  Lodewyk  Gott- 

' fried,  Leyden,  1727. 

Encyclopedia  des  Voyages,  par  J.  Grausset  S.  Sauveur,  Paris,  1796. 

An  Account  of  the  Spanish  Settlements  in,  1 vol.  8vo,  Edin.  1762. 

L’Univers  Pittoresque,  Paris,  1849. 

or  an  Exact  Account  of  the  W est  Indies,  especially  the  Spanish  Pro- 
vinces, by  N.  N.  Gent,  12mo,  1655. 

Annales  des  Voyages  (Malte  Brun),  Paris,  1808. 

Anonymous — Les  Principes  de  Revolutions  en  Haiti,  privately  printed 
(by  General  Cinna  le  Conte,  a grandson  of  Dessalines). 

Antonio  del  Monte  y Tejada — Historia  de  Santo  Domingo,  desde  su 
Descubrimiento  hasta  Nuestras  Dias,  Madrid,  1860. 


xxii  BIBLIOGRAPHY  OF  ST  DOMINGO. 


Archenholtz  (J.  M.  Von) — History  of  the  Pirates,  Freebooters,  &c.,  of 
America,  translated  by  G.  Mason,  1807. 

Ardouin  (B.) — Etudes  sur  I’Histoire  d’Haiti,  &c.,  11  vols.  Paris,  1853-61. 

Atkins  (John) — Voyage  to  Guinea,  Brazil,  and  West  Indies,  8vo,  calf, 
1735. 

Barbe  de  Marbois — Etat  des  Finances  de  Saint  Domingue,  Paris, 
1790. 

Observations  Personelles  a I’lntendant  de  Saint  Domingue,  Paris, 

1790. 

Barcia  (And.  Gonzalez)— Historiadores  Primitivos  de  las  Indias  Occiden- 
tales,  fol.  Madrid,  1749. 

Beard  (J.  R.) — The  Life  of  Toussaint  L’Ouverture,  1 vol.  12mo‘,  illus- 
trated, Bond.  1853. 

Beckford — Descriptive  Account  of  the  Island  of  Jamaica,  with  Re- 
marks upon  Sugar-cane  Culture,  Lond.  1790. 

Beilin  (N.) — Description  Geographique  des  Debouquemens  qui  sont  au 
Nord  de  Plsle  de  Saint  Domingue,  Versailles,  1773. 

Benzoni  (Girolamo) — La  Historia  del  Mondo  Novo,  Venetia,  1565. 

Bergeaud- Stella — Roman  Historique  d’Haiti,  Paris,  1859. 

Berlioz  d’Auriac  (J.) — La  Guerre  Noire,  Souvenirs  de  Saint  Domingue, 
Paris,  1862. 

Biggs  (Wm ) — Military  History  of  Europe  from  the  commencement  of 
the  War  with  Spain,  Lond.  1755. 

Bloncourt — Des  Richesses  Naturelles  d’Haiti,  Paris,  1861. 

Bonneau — Les  Inter4ts  Europeens  h Santo  Domingo,  Paris,  1861. 

Bonnycastle  (Sir  R.  H.) — Spanish  America,  2 vols.  8vo,  Lond.  1818. 

Bossi  (Luigi) — Vita  di  Cristoforo  Colombo,  Milan,  1818. 

Bouvet  de  Cresse  (A.  J.  B.)  — Histoire  de  la  Marine  de  tons  les  Peuples 
Paris,  1824. 

Brasseur  de  Bourbourg — Bibliotheque  Mexico,  Guatemalienne,  8vo» 
Paris,  1871. 

Breton  (J.  B.  J.  de  la  Martiniere) — Histoire  de  Flsle  de  Saint  Domingue, 
8 VO,  Paris,  1802. 

Browne  (Dr  Patrick)— Civil  and  Natural  History  of  Jamaica,  plates 
Lond.  1756. 

CardeRera — Informe  Sobre  los  Retratos  de  Cristobal  Colon,  Madrid, 
1851. 

Casas  (Barth,  de  las) — Obras  del  Obispo  dela  Ciudad  Real  de  Chiapa 
en  las  Indias,  &c.,  Seville,  1552. 

Chanca  (Dr  Alvarez  Diego) — Letter  addressed  to  the  Chapter  of  Seville, 
8 VO,  1859. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY  OF  ST  DOMINGO. 


XXlll 


Charlevoix  (Pierre  Francois  Zavier  de) — Histoire  de  Pile  Espagnol  on 
St  Domingue,  Paris,  1730. 

Charolais — Les  Interets  Fran9ais  et  Europeens,  h Santo  Domingo,  Paris, 
1861. 

Charton  (M.  Edouard) — Voyagers  Anciens  et  Modernes,  Paris,  1854. 
(This  is  one  of  the  best  collections  of  Voyages  and  Travels  extant, 
and  to  which  the  author  of  this  volume  is  much  indebted.  To 
readers  of  French  it  is  invaluable.) 

Churchill  (John) — Collection  of  Voyages  and  Travels,  6 vols.  Lond.  1744. 

Coke  (Rev.  Dr  Thomas) — History  of  the  West  Indies,  3 vols.  Lond.  1811. 

Collection  (A  New)  of  Voyages,  7 vols.  8vo,  Lond.  1765. 

Colombo  (Cristofori) — Discorso  de  Cesare  Correnti,  Milan,  1862. 

Paesi  Nuovamente  Retrovati,  Vicenza,  1507. 

Memorials  of  Columbus,  a Collection  of  Authentic  Documents  from 

original  MS.  at  Genoa,  Lond.  1823. 

Zee  en  Land  Reysen,  1707. 

Select  Letters  of  C.  C.,  by  R.  H.  Major,  Hakluyt,  Lond.  1847. 

Columbus,  Lettre  de,  publiee  d’apres  la  rarissime  version  Latine  con- 
servee  a la  Bibliotheque  Imperiale,  Paris,  1865. 

D’Alaux — Sonlouque  et  Son  Empire,  Paris,  1856. 

Dalmas  (M.  Antoine) — Histoire  de  Ja  Revolution  de  Saint  Domingue, 
&c.,  Paris,  1814. 

De  Bry  (Theodore) — Works  of,  principally  the  Edition  of  1595,  Frankfort. 

De  la  Gerontocratie  en  Haiti,  Paris,  1860. 

D’Hormoys — Une  Visite  chez  Soulouque,  Paris,  1859. 

Descourtilz — Guide  Sanitaire  des  Voyaguers  aux  Colonies,  ou  Conseils 
Hygieniques  des  Europeens  destinee  ^ passer  aux  Isles,  8vo,  Paris, 
1816. 

(M.  E.) — Voyages  d’un  Naturaliste  et  ses  Observations,  3 vols. 

Paris,  1809. 

Flore  Pittoresque  et  Medicale  des  Antilles,  8 vols.  Paris, 

1829-33. 

Dessalles  (M.  Adrien) — Histoire  Generale  des  Antilles,  5 vols.  in  3» 
8vo,  Paris,  1847-8. 

Diez  (Juan  de  la  Calle) — Memorial  y Noticias  Sacras  y Reales  de  las 
Indias  Occidentales,  4to,  Madrid,  1646. 

Domingans  “ Alerta,”  a political  pamphlet,  Santiago  (St  Domingo), 
1852. 

Dorvo  Soulastre — Voyage  par  Terre  de  St  Domingo  au  Cap  Francais. 
Paris,  1809. 

Drake  (Sir  Francis)  Revived,  or  a Summary  of  Foure  Severeal  Voyages  to 
the  West  Indies,  4to,  Lond.  1653. 


XXIV 


BIBLIOGRAPHY  OF  ST  DOMINGO. 


Drake,  Life  and  Voyages  of,  by  John  Barrow,  Esq.,  Bond.  1843. 

Du  Coeur  Joly  (S.  G.  ancien  habitant  de  St  Domingo) — Manuel  des 
Habitans  de  Saint  Domingue,  2 vols.  Paris,  1802. 

Dutertre  (J.  B.) — Histoire  Generate  des  Antilles  habitues  par  lea 
Francais,  4 vols.  Paris,  1667-71. 

Edwards  (Bryan) — Civil  and  Commercial  History  of  the  West  Indies, 
3 vols.  fol.  Bond.  1793,  1801. 

France — Colonies,  Bibliotheque  Historique  de  la  Eevolution,  Paris, 
1810-20. 

Francisci  (Erasmi) — Ost  und  West  Indischen  Lust  und  Staats  Garten, 
Nuremburg,  1668. 

Franklin — Present  State  of  Hayti,  Bond.  1828.  . 

Frezier  (M.) — Belation  du  Voyage  de  la  Mer  du  Sud,  &c.,  Amsterdam, 
1717. 

Froger  (Be  Sieur) — Belation  d’un  Voyage  fait  eii  1695-6-7  aux  Indes, 
Antilles,  &c.,  Paris,  1598. 

Gage  (Thomas) — Survey  of  Spanish  West  Indies,  Voyages,  &c..  Bond. 
1711. 

Garan  Coulon  (J.  Ph.) — Bapport  siir  les  Troubles  de  Saint  Domingue, 
Paris. 

An  Inquiry  into  the  Causes  of  the  Insurrection  of  St  Domingo, 

Bond.  1792. 

Garcia  (Jose  Gabriel) — Compendio  de  la  Historia  de  Santo  Domingo, 
St  Domingo,  1867. 

Gardyner  (George) — Description  of  the  New  World,  &c.,  as  in  the  Year 
1649,  Bondri651. 

Gonzalez  Carranza  (Domingo) — A Geographical  Description  of  the 
Spanish  West  Indies,  Bond.  1740. 

Gomara  (Fr.  Lopez  de) — La  Historia  General  de  las  Indias,  Anvers,  1554. 

Granier  de  Cassagnac  (A.) — Voyage  aux  Antilles,  Paris,  1843. 

Gryneus— Navigatio  Novus  Orbis,  Basle,  1532. 

Guillermin  (M.  Gilbert  E.) — Precis  Historique  des  derniers  Evenements 
de  la  Partie  de  Test  de  St  Domingue  depuis  1808,  &c.,  Paris,  1811. 

Guridi  (Zavier  Angulo) — Elenientos,  &c.,  de  la  Isla  de  Santo  Domingo, 
St  Domingo,  1866. 

Gurney  (Joseph  John) — A Winter  in  the  West  Indies,  plates,  Bond. 
1840. 

Hakewell  (James) — Picturesque  Tour  of  the  Island  of  Jamaica,  4to, 
coloured  plates.  Bond.  1825. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY  OF  ST  DOMINGO. 


XXV 


Hakluyt’s  (Rickard)  Voyages,  History  of  tke  West  Indies,  (fee.,  Lond. 
1812. 

Hanna  (Rev.  W.  S.) — Notes  of  a Visit  to  some  Parts  of  Hayti,  Lond. 
1836. 

Harris — Navigantuni  Itinerantium  Bibliotheca  (Indies),  fob  1744. 

Harvey  (W.  W) — Sketches  of  Hayti  from  the  Expulsion  of  the  French 
to  the  Death  of  Cristophe,  1827. 

Haytian  Constitution,  Tariff,  &c..  Pub.  Doc. 

Haytian  Papers  published  by  authority,  to  which  is  a Preface  by 
Pierce  Sanders,  Agent  of  the  Haytian  Government,  Lond.  1816. 

Hazard  (Samuel) — Cuba  with  Pen  and  Pencil,  with  over  300  illustra- 
tions, Hartford  and  Lond.  1871. 

Helps  (A.) — The  Conquerors  of  the  New  World,  Lond.  1848. 

Herrera  (Antonio  de) — Descripcion  de  las  Indias  Occidentales,  4 fol.  vols. 
Madrid,  1730. 

Histoire  Geii6rale  des  Voyages  par  Dumont  D’Urville,  and  others, 
Paris,  1859. 

Histoire  Naturelle  du  Cacao  et  du  Sucre,  Amsterdam,  1720. 

Historie  der  Boecaniers  op  Vreybuyters  van  America,  Amsterdam 
Nicolaas  Ten  Hoorn,  plates,  1700. 

Holmes  (Abel) — American  Annals,  a Chronological  History  of  America, 
2 vols. 

Humboldt  et  Bonpland — Voyage  aux  Regions  Equinoxiales  du 
Nouveau  Continent,  Paris,  1825. 

Inginac  — Secretaire  Haitien  (under  Boyer),  Memoires,  Kingston, 
Jamaica,  1843. 

Irving  (Washington) — History  of  the  Life  and  Voyages  of  Columbus, 
4 vois.  Lond.  1828. 

Jackson  (Dr  Robt.) — Treatise  on  the  Fevers  of  Jamaica,  with  Observa- 
tions on  the  Intermittent  Fever  of  America,  1791. 

Febrile  Diseases,  1820. 

Jefferys  (Thomas) — Natural  and  Civil  History  of  the  French  Dominions 
in  North  and  South  America,  fol.  Lond.  1760. 

A Description  of  the  Spanish  Islands,  (fee.,  Lond.  1762. 

Juan  (Don  George,  Capt.  in  Spanish  Navy) — A Voyage  to  South 
America,  translated,  Lond.  1807. 

de  y Ulloa — Noticias  Secretas  de  America,  4to,  Lond.  1826. 

La  America — Cronica  Hi.spano  Americana,  Madrid,  1854. 

Labat  (R.  P.) — Nouveau  Voyage  aux  lies  de  I’Amerique,  8 vols.  Paris, 
1742. 


XXVI 


BIBLIOGRAPHY  OF  ST  DOMINGO. 


/ 


La  Croix  (Pamphile,  Lieut.-General  Barno)— Memoirs  pour  Servir  ^ 
PHistoire  de  la  Revolution  de  St  Domingue,  2 vols.  Paris, 
1819. 

Laet  (Joan  de)— Novis  Orbis,  Leyden,  1630. 

La  Harpe— Histoire  G6n6rale  des  Voyages,  Paris. 

Las  Casas — Relation  des  Voyages  et  des  Decouvretes  que  les  Espagnols 
ont  fait  dans  les  Indes  Occidentales,  avec  le  Relation  Curieuse  des 
Voyages  de  Sieur  Monteauban,  Capitain  des  Flibustiers,  Amster- 
dam, 1698. 

La  Vega  (Pedro  de  la) — Cronica  de  los  Fray  les,  &c.,  de  Sant  Hieronymo, 
Alcala,  1539. 

(Manuel  de) — Historia  del  Descubrimiento  de  la  America,  Mexico, 

1826. 

L’Espinasse  de  Langeac  (N.  de)—  Colomb  dans  les  Fers,  a poem,  Lond. 
and  Paris,  1782. 

Llorente  (Juan  Ant.) — Annales  de  la  Inquisicion,  &c.,  plates,  Madrid, 
1841. 

Lyonnet  (Le  C.) — Statistique  de  la  Partie  Espagnol  de  Saint  Domingue, 
Paris,  1800. 

Macgregor  (John) — The'Progress  of  America,  2 vols.  Lond.  1847. 

Mackenzie  (C.,  British  Consul) — Notes  on  Haiti  during  a Residence  in 
that  Republic,  2 vols.  Lond.  1830. 

Madiou  (Thomas,  fils) — Histoire  d’Haiti,  3 vols.  8vo,  Port-au-Prince, 
1847. 

Malenfant  (Colonel) — Des  Colonies,  et  particulierement  de  St  Domingue, 
Paris,  1814. 

Maries  (M.  la  Croix  de  J.) — Histoire  D'escriptive  et  Pittoresque  de  St 
Domingue,  Tours,  1852. 

M6tral  (Ant.) — Histoire  de  PExpedition  des  Francais  d Saint  Domingue, 
Paris,  1844. 

Metral  (Antoine) — Histoire  de  PExpedition  Militaire  des  Francais  a 
Saint  Domingue,  with  Notes  by  Isaac,  the  son  of  Pierre  Toussaint. 
portrait,  1841. 

Monardes — Historia  Medicinal  de  las  Cosas  que  se  Traen  de  Nuestras 
Indias  Occidentales  que  sirven  en  Medecina,  woodcuts,  Seville, 
1574. 

Montgomery  (James) — The  West  Indies,  a poem,  Lond.  1814. 

Moore  (J.  H.) — A New  and  Complete  Collection  of  Voyages,  2 vols.  fol. 
illustrated,  Lond.  1785. 

Moreau  de  Saint  Mery — Description  Topographique,  Physique,  &c.,  de  la 
Partie  Francais  de  Pile  de  St  Domingue,  2 vols.  Phil.  1798. 

Partie  Espagnol,  2 vols.  1796. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY  OF  ST  DOMINGO. 


XXVll 


Closely  (Dr  Benj.) — Treatise  on  Tropical  Diseases  and  on  the  Climate  of 
the  West  Indies,  8vo,  Bond.  1803. 

Munoz  (J.  B.) — Hdstoria  del  Nuevo  Mundo,  4to,  Madrid,  1793. 

Navarrete  (M.  Fernandez  de) — Colleccion  ineditos  para  servir  por  la 
Historia  de  Espana,  Madrid,  1842. 

Navarrete  (M.  Fernandez  de) — Colleccion  de  los  Yiages  y Descubri- 
mientos,  &c.,  5 vols.  Madrid,  1825. 

Nicolai  (EHud) — Navigationes  in  den  West  und  Ost  Indien  der  Holland. 
Engellandischen  Compagnien,  Munchen,  1619. 

Nicolaus — Syllacias  Letter,  translated  into  English  by  the  Kev.  John 
Mulligan,  New  York,  1859. 

Nuix  (El  Abate  Don  Juan) — Beflexiones  Imparciales  sobre  la  Hu- 
manidad  de  los  Espaholes  en  las  Indias,  traducida,  Ac.,  Madrid, 
1732. 

Oexmelix  (A.  0.) — Histoire  des  Aventuriers  des  Boucaniers  et  de  la 
Chambre  des  Comtes  etablie  dans  les  Indes,  2 vols.,  maps  and 
plates,  Paris,  1688. 

Ogilby^s  Accurate  Description  of  the  New  World,  with  the  Bemarkable 
Voyages  thither,  (fee.,  plates,  1671. 

Osier  (Edward) — The  Voyage,  a poem  written  in  the  West  Indies, 
Lond.  1830. 

Oviedo  (Gonzalo  Fernandez  de) — Cronicas  de  las  Indias,  various 
editions  ; La  Historia  General  de  las  Indias,  <fec.,  1547,  1535, 
1851-5. 

Philopoxi  (H.) — Nova  Typis,  Navigatio  in  Novum  Mundum. 

Pinkerton  (John) — General  Collection  of  Voyages  and  Travels,  illus- 
trated, Lond.  1809. 

Placide  Justin — Histoire  de  ITle  de  Hayti,  Ecrite  sur  les  Documents 
Officiel  et  des  Notes  Communiques  par  Sir  Jas.  Baskett,  Paris,  1826. 

Poey  (Andres) — Article  on  Antiquities  of  St  Domingo  in  Transactions  oj 
the  American  Ethnological  Society^  vol.  iii.  p.  1,  New  York,  1845. 

Ponce — Recueil  des  Vues  des  Lieux  Principaux  de  la  Colonie  de  St 
Domingue,  Paris,  1791,  to  accompany  M.  St  Mery’s  work. 

Port-au-Prince — Production  Historique,  Report  des  Gardes  Nationals, 
4to,  Port-au-Prince,  1792. 

Purchas — His  PRgrimes,  5 vols.  Lond.  1625. 

Rainsford  (Marcus) — Historical  Account  of  the  Black  Empire  of  Hayti, 
&c.,  4to,  maps  and  plates,  1805. 

Raynal  (G.  T.) — Histoire  Philosophique  et  Politique  des  Etablissements 


xxviii  BIBLIOGRAPHY  OF  ST  DOMINGO.  • 


et  du  Commerce  des  Europeans  dans  les  Deux  Indes,  10  vols. 
Paris,  1820. 

Relaciou  Verdadera  del  Horrible  Huracan  que  Sobrevino  ^ la  Isla  St 
Domingo,  Aug.  15,  1680,  Madrid. 

Remy  (Saint) — Solution  de  la  Question  Haitienne,  Paris,  1854. 

Petion  et  Haiti,  Memoires  pour  Servir  a I’Histoii’e  de  Haiti,  1851. 

L’Ouverture,  Chef  des  Noirs  Insurgdes  a St  Domingue,  Paris,  1850. 

Memoirs,  &c.,  1853. 

Revue  des  Deux  Mondes  (Various  Articles),  Paris. 

Robertson  (Dr  William) — History  of  America,  4 vols.  Lond.  1812. 

Charles  the  Fifth,  edited  by  W.  H.  Prescott,  Lond.  1857. 

Robin  (C.  C.) — Voyage  dans  Tlnterieur  de  la  Lonisiahne,  St  Domingue. 
&c.,  Paris,  1807. 

Rochefort  (Poincy  de  Louis) — Histoire  Naturelle  et  Morale  des  lies 
Antilles,  &c.,  Rotterdam,  1658. 

Rogers  (Samuel) — The  Voyage  of  Columbus,  a poem,  Lond.  1812. 

Roselly  de  Lorgues — Vie  et  Voyages  de  Cristophe  Colomb,  1 vol.  8vc 
illustrated,  Paris,  1862. 

Saint  Domingo  Constitution,  St  Domingo,  1854. 

Cuentas  Generales,  1848. 

History  of  the  Island  of  (attributed  to  Sir  Jas.  Baskett),  Lond.  1818. 

Actos  Legislativos,  &c.,  de  la  Republica  Dominicana,  St  Domingo, 

1846. 

Essai  sur  PHistoire  Naturelle  de  ITsle,  Paris,  1776. 

Dios,  Patria,  y Libertad,  a pamphlet,  St  Domingo,  1855. 

Sanchez  y Valverde  (Don  Antonio) — Idea  del  Valor  de  la  Isla  EspaSola, 
Madrid,  1785. 

San  Domingo — Annexation  of,  pamphlet,  anonymous.  New  York, 
1870. 

Santo  Domingo — Report  of  the  U.  S.  Commission  of  Inquiry  to,  Wash- 
ington, 1871. 

Schoelcher  (M.  V.) — Des  Colonies  Frangaises,  Paris,  1842. 

Schomburgk — The  History  of  Barbadoes,  Lond.  1847. 

Notes  on  St  Domingo,  in  Proceedings  of  British  Association  for 

1851. 

Spain — Ordenanzas  Reales  del  Consejo  de  las  Indias,  Valladolid,  1603, 
and  Madrid,  1585. 

(Church  of) — Historia  y Origen  de  las  Rentas  de  la  Yglesia  de 

Espana,  Madrid,  1828. 

Tobacco — Storia  Distincta  y Curiosa  del  Tobacco,  &c.,  Ferrara,  1758. 

Trollope  ('Anthony) — The  West  Indies,  Lond.  1860. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY  OF  ST  DOMINGO. 


XXIX 


Varnhagen  (Francisco  ad  de) — La  Verdadera  Guanahani  de  Colon, 
Santiago  de  Chili,  1864. 

Vastey  (Baron  de)  Essai  sur  les  Causes  des  Bevolutiones  et  des  Guerres 
Civiles  de  Haiti,  Sans  Souci,  1819. 

Le  Systeme  Colonial  Devoile,  Cape  Henry,  1814. 

Reflexions  Politiques  sur  les  Noirs  et  les  Blancs,  &c..  Sans  Souci. 

1817. 


Walton  (W.) — Present  State  of  the  Spanish  Colonies,  including  a par- 
ticular Account  of  Hispaniola,  2 vols.  Bond.  1819. 

West  India  Sketch-Book,  2 vols.  12mo,  Bond.  1834. 

Directory,  Bond.  1869. 

AVhitehouse  (W.  F.) — Essays  on  Sugar- Farming  in  Jamaica,  1843. 
Whittier  (John  G.) — Poetical  Works,  Bond.  1869. 

Wimpfen  (Baron  de) — Reisen  nach  St  Doming  Erfurt,  1798. 


Note. — There  have  been  at  times  also  innumerable  Pamphlets  pub- 
lished on  Hayti  by  refugees  and  others,  of  which,  though  glanced  at  by 
the  authoi’p  he  does  aot  deem  it  necessary  to  include  in  the  above. 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


1 


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i\lorit  ir'  >jcrttnf,onv  n’tuirujn  Pn.sij  tX'‘  Prtr^i'nt-  . 


SANTO  DOMINGO, 


CHAPTER  I. 


“ Nymphs  of  romance, 
Youths  graceful  as  the  fawn,  with  rapturous  glance 
Spring  from  the  glades,  and  down  the  green  steeps  run 
To  greet  their  mighty  guests,  ‘the  children  of  the  sun.'” 


Santo  Domingo — Its  Extent^  Location^  Physical  Peculiarities — 
The  Aborigines — Their  Habits^  Custo7?is,  arc. 

T^IVE  days’  good  steaming  from  New  York,  or  about 
^ twelve  from  Land’s  End,  England,  lies  in  the  South 
Atlantic  a famous  island — famous  in  ages  past,  and  to  be 
celebrated  in  the  time  to  come,  as  the  cradle  of  the  New 
World  ” — St  Domingo. 

Notorious  for  its  misfortunes  and  those  of  its  inhabitants 
in  many  decades  of  years,  it  had  in  the  past  almost  lost  its 
existence  in  the  political  world ; and  the  names  even  of  St 
Domingo  and  Hayti  were  held  by  many  intelligent  people 
to  be  those  of  two  separate  countries,  until  the  efforts  of  the 
Republic  of  St  Domingo  to  find  a place  of  safety  and  pro- 
tection among  the  United  States  of  America  has  attracted 
attention  to  this  almost  forgotten  }^et  historic  isle. 

Probably  no  spot  on  earth,  take  it  all  together,  and  look- 
ing at  it  in  its  natural  aspects,  can  be  found  more  lovely : 
and  it  is  safe  to  say,  [irobably  no  extent  of  territory,  the 
3 


2 


SANTO  DOMINGO, 


world  over,  contains  within  itself,  under  proper  auspices,  so 
many  elements  of  prosperity,  worldly  success,  and  happi- 
ness as  the  Island  of  St  Domingo. 

Many  circumstances  serve  to  render  the  history  of  this 
island  peculiarly  interesting  to  every  intelligent  mind,  for 
here  we  have  realised,  in  almost  every  part,  the  actual  exist- 
ence and  daily  life  of  Columbus ; here  we  have  the  place 
first  colonised  in  the  New  World  by  Europeans — the  start- 
ing point  of  that  civilisation  which,  spreading  itself  out  in 
the  New  World,  is  now  penetrating  to  those  Indies  of  which 
the  ‘‘  Grand  Admiral”  thought  this  very  island  was  a por- 
tion ; here  we  have  also  the  spot  where  was  first  inaugurated 
the  beginning  of  African  slavery  in  the  Western  World, 
as  well  as  the  real  movement  that  has  served  to  end  it. 
Upon  this  spot  has  been  wielded  the  power  of  almost  every 
European  Government,  the  blood  of  whose  children  has 
been  lavishly  poured  forth  upon  its  soil. 

Though  fire  and  sword,  cruelty,  persecution,  and  blood- 
shed have  traversed  this  noble  isle  in  almost  every  part,  and 
often  hand-in-hand,  yet  to-day  it  rests  upon  the  bosom 
of  those  tropic  seas,  as  beautiful,  majestic,  and  fruitful 
in  all  its  natural  gifts  as  when  Columbus  first  discovered 
it,  waiting  only  the  assistance  of  law  and  sound  government, 
accompanied  by  intelligence,  industry,  and  enterprise,  to 
take  its  place  in  the  political  arena  as  one  of  the  most 
favoured  of  states.  Lying  in  the  Atlantic  Ocean  at  the 
entrance  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  second  of  the  Great  Antilles 
to  Cuba  in  size  only,  Santo  Domingo  yet,  by  its  position  and 
natural  advantages,  ranks  first  of  all  the  beautiful  islands 
in  these  waters  ; and'  though  to-day  impoverished  and  a 
beggar,  yet  she  will  prove,  under  proper  care,  such  a pre- 
cious jewel  to  the  power  that  may  be  induced  to  take  her 
under  its  protection,  as  many  kings  would  be  glad  to  place 
in  their  crowns. 

The  territorial  extent  of  the  whole  island,  from  its  ex- 
treme eastern  point  to  its  most  western  cape  (Tiburon),  is 


ITS  LOCATION. 


3 


about  400  English  miles ; and  the  extreme  breadth  of  its 
widest  part  nearly  180  miles — the  area  within  its  bound- 
aries, exclusive  of  the  adjacent  isles,  being  of  about  the 
same  extent  as  Ireland,  or  25,000  square  miles. 

Of  this  territory,  the  negro  Republic  of  Hayti  occupies  at 
the  western  end  something  less  than  one-third  the  whole 
extent,  the  remainder  being  nominally  under  the  control 
of  the  Dominican  Republic. 

Situated  in  18”  20'  north  latitude,  and  in  longitude  68°  40' 
west  from  Greenwich,  St  Domingo  has  for  near  neighbours 
Cuba,  from  which  it  is  distant  about  70  miles  south-east ; 
from  Jamaica,  130  miles  north-east;  and  about  60  miles 
west-north-west  of  Puerto  Rico  ; possessing  all  the  advan- 
tages and  few  of  the  disadvantages  of  those  three  islands. 

Such  is  the  peculiar  formation  of  this  magnificent  land, 
that  within  its  boundaries  is  found  almost  every  variety  of 
climate ; while  in  the  character  of  its  soils  and  vegetation, 
it  is  equally  varied.  This  fact  is  due  to  certain  peculiarities 
of  its  position,  and  to  the  singular  manner  in  which  its 
principal  mountain  ranges  are  placed. 

These  consist  generally  of  long  chains,  of  which  there  are 
two  principal  ones,  stretching  the  whole  length  of  the  island, 
their  general  direction  being  from  east  to  west.  From  these 
principal  ranges,  which  on  each  side  leave  a space  nearly 
equal  between  them  and  the  coast,  but  which  do  not  always 
run  parallel  to  one  another,  go  a number  of  secondary 
chains,  which,  running  in  different  directions,  divide  the 
land  between  into  valleys  as  various  in  depth  as  extent ; and 
these  valleys  are  again  divided  by  hills  and  ridges  of  dimen- 
sions as  various  as  are  the  valleys  they  divide,  so  that  the 
secondary  chains  and  ridges  appear  like  so  many  suppor- 
ters given  by  Nature  to  the  principal  mountains. 

The  secondary  chains  that  run  from  the  sides  of  the  prin- 
cipal ones  towards  the  sea,  divide  the  intermediate  space 
into  plains  of  various  figures  and  extent;  and  these  plains 
are  subdivided  and  sheltered  by  other  ridges,  which,  going 


4 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


sometimes  even  to  tlie  beach,  serve  them  as  a sort  of  bound- 
aries or  ramparts. 

The  two  great  chains  of  mountains  rise  as  they  advance 
from  the  east ; but  this  progressive  elevation  does  not  con- 
tinue for  more  than  forty  leagues,  after  which  the  heights 
remain  the  same  for  a considerable  distance.  They  seem 
to  widen  as  they  approach  the  west,  till,  coming  to  the 
middle  of  the  narrow  part  of  the  island,  they  narrow 
again,  still  preserving  their  height,  until,  in  fact,  towards 
the  western  part,  the  mountains  are  almost  piled  on  top  of 
each  other.  For  this  reason,  seen  at  sea,  the  whole  island 
appears  completely  mountainous. 

But  in  this  mountainous  form  lies  the  very  secret  of  its 
great  fertility,  for  these  mountains  act  as  immense  reser- 
voirs, whose  "waters,  by  means  of  innumerable  rivers,  are 
afterwards  borne  in  every  direction. « They  are  the  barriers 
erected  by  Nature  to  repel  the  violence  of  the  winds,  to 
temper  the  rays  of  a scorching  sun,  and  to  vary  the  tem- 
perature of  the  air. 

With  occasional  exceptions,  all  these  mountains  are 
covered  with  vegetation  of  some  sort,  but  principally  of  the 
most  valuable  kinds  of  trees,  the  wood  of  which  is  used  in 
commerce ; and  though  the  summits  of  some  raise  their 
rocky  peaks  bald  of  trees  or  vegetation,  yet  the  majority  are 
covered  with  mould,  rich  in  the  accumulated  vegetable 
manure  of  centuries  of  decav. 

For  the  general  reader,  it  will  suffice  to  make  himself 
familiar  with  the  names  of  onlj^  the  two  principal  ranges  of 
mountains,  the  longest  of  which  is  the  most  southern; 
beginning  at  the  extreme  eastern  end  of  the  island,  and 
running  nearly  through  its  centre,  it  ends  near  Dondon  in 
the  Haytian  part,  thus  dividing  the  Dominican  portion 
into  two  districts,  the  North  and  South.  This  range  is 
familiarly  known  as  the  Cordillera  or  Cibao  range. 

Nearly  parallel,  and  to  the  north  of  the  Cibao,  extends 
the  great  range  known  as  the  Monte  Cristo  mountains ; 


THK  NORTH  COAST  OFF  I’UERTO  PLATA. 


. * « 


PHYSICAL  FEATURES. 


5 


beginning  at  tlie  ba}"  of  that  name,  and  running  almost 
parallel  with  the  line  of  the  north  coast,  it  finally  ends  in 
the  peninsula  of  Samana. 

Between  these  two  ranges  lies  probably  one  of  the  most 
fertile,  beautiful,  well- watered  plains  or  valleys  in  the  world, 
— the  famous  Vega  Real,”  or  Royal  Plain  of  Columbus. 

The  valleys  of  the  Dominican  part  are  more  numerous 
and  of  greater  extent  than  those  in  the  Haytian,  while 
the  mountains  of  the  former  are  notably  rich  in  valuable 
mines  and  minerals;  the  climate  and  soil  being  equally 
varied  throughout  the  two  portions. 

Having  given  thus  a casual  glance  at  the  general  physical 
peculiarities  of  the  island,  we  shall  be  better  able  to  enjoy 
a journey  over  it,  especially  after  glancing  at  some  of  the 
principal  events  of  its  history. 

The  Dominican  Republic  having,  by  a vote  of  its  people, 
expressed  a desire  to  annex  itself  to  the  United  States,  ap- 
plication to  this  efiPect  was  made  by  the  Dominican  authori- 
ties in  1869,  and  after  much  discussion  in  the  national  halls 
of  legislation,  a commission  was  appointed  by  the  United 
States  Government  to  proceed  to  St  Domingo,  and  investi- 
gate the  condition  of  affairs  on  that  island  and  report  thereon. 

This  commission,  sailing  from  the  United  States  in  the 
American  man-of-war  Tennessee,  January  17,  1871,  reached 
the  island  at  Samana  Bay,  January  24. 

For  his  own  purposes,  as  well  as  to  act  as  an  independent 
newspaper  correspondent,  the  author  left  New  York  on  the 
1st  day  of  February  1871  in  the  steamer  Tyhee,  the  only 
steam-vessel  that  keeps  up  communication  between  the  Re- 
public of  St  Domingo  and  the  United  States.  The  voyage, 
begun  in  the  bitter  weather  of  a Northern  winter,  was  with- 
out any  event  of  interest  to  the  general  reader,  and  he  can- 
not do  better,  therefore,  than  occupy  the  time  in  reading 
over  with  me  a few  chapters  of  the  history  of  the  famous 
island  for  which  we  are  bound. 

Those  of  us  who  had  been  in  the  tropics  before,  looked 


6 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


forward  to  the  time  when  we  should  once  again  breathe  the 
delicious  air  of  the  balmy  clime  of  the  Antilles ; for  there 
seems  to  be  something  particularly  fascinating  about  the 
tropics,  as  well  to  Governments  as  to  individuals : and  we 
find  it  the  same  with  both ; having  tasted  of  the  delights 
of  the  tropic  clime,  there  remains  always  a desire  to  renew 
either  acquaintance  or  possession  once  made  therein. 

Looking  back  to  the  period  when  the  New  World  was  first 
discovered,  we  see,  in  the  histories  of  the  most  prominent 
nations  of  the  time,  the  intense  desire  of  their  rulers  to 
become  the  possessors  of  domains  described  invariably  in 
such  glowing  terms  by  the  subjects  sent  out  on  voyages  of 
discoveiy  to  those  new  and  wondrous  lands  comprised  in 
the  general  name  of  The  Indies;”  desires  which,  being 
fulfilled,  gave  to  the  monarchies  of  the  Old  World,  in  almost 
every  case,  colonies  and  possessions  in  the  Western  World, 
some  of  which  to  this  day,  notwithstanding  changes  in 
government,  domestic  trouble,  and  long  and  bloody  foreign 
wars,  still  remain  attached  thereto. 

Turning  over  the  pages  of  the  ancient  chroniclers,  we  find 
they  all  agree  in  their  descriptions  of  the  flowery  lands, 
uniting  as  they  all  do  in  using  the  most  glowing  language, 
as  well  as  the  most  highly-coloured  hyperbole,  in  theii’  ac- 
counts of  these  new  countries. 

Even  those  adventurers  who  came  from  the  sunny  lands 
of  the  South  of  Europe,  and  who,  it  might  he  supposed,  were 
well  familiarised  to  the  charms  and  novelties  of  the  azure 
skies,  gorgeous  colouring,  and  luxuriant  vegetation  of  the 
tropics,  are  in  nowise  behind  their  more  phlegmatic  brethren 
of  the  North  in  their  glowing  eulogies  of  the  new  Paradise.” 

Reading  some  of  the  descriptions  of  the  great  Columbus 
himself,  written  to  his  benefactors  under  the  influence  of 
his  flrst  impressions  of  the  West  Indies,  we  seem  rather  to 
be  reading  the  warm  and  glowing  descriptions  of  romantic 
youth,  than  the  staid,  cautious  relation  of  a man  of  mature 
life,  such  as  he  is  described  to  have  been  at  this  period ; and 


COL  UMB  US. 


as  we  scan  the  outlines  of  the  picture  that  seems  more  likely 
to  he  a true  likeness  than  many  of  the  others  of  him,  we  look 
in  vain  in  the  features  of  the  calm,  dignified  man  before  us  for 
the  writer  of  such  lines  as  these  concerning  St  Domingo: — 
I swear  to  your  majesties  there  is  not  in  the  world  a 


better  nation  nor  a better  land  ; they  love  their  neighbours 
as  themselves,  and  their  discourse  is  ever  sweet  and  gentle, 

* From  the  portrait  in  the  gallery  of  Paolo  Giovo  (bom  at  Como  in  1483), 
who  had  a beautiful  collection  of  portraits  of  the  distinguished  men  of  his 
time,  and  who  always  considered  this  as  representing  with  fidelity  the 
features  of  Columbus. 


8 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


and  accompanied  with  a smile ; and  though  it  is  true  that  they 
are  naked,  yet  their  manners  are  decorous  and  praiseworthy.” 

When  Columbus,  traversing,  in  his  first  voyage  in  Decem- 
ber 1492,  the  narrow  channel  that  separates  Cuba  from  St 
Domingo,  came  in  sight  of  the  latter  island,  he  found  a 
land  even  more  beautiful  in  his  eyes  than  that  of  Cuba,  in 
the  description  of  whose  shores  he  had  already  almost  ex- 
hausted the  language  of  panegyric ; and  of  the  actual  supe- 
riority of  St  Domingo  in  eveiy  respect  he  gave  practical 
illustration  by  founding  a colony  on  its  north  coast,  giving 
to  the  island  the  name,  it  seems,  in  honour  of  his  adopted 
country,  of  Hispanola,  or  Little  Spain,  imagining  that  it 
resembled  the  most  favoured  provinces  of  Andalusia.” 

As  to  the  number  of  the  original  inhabitants  found  on 
this  island  at  the  time  of  its  discovery,  the  authorities  of 
the  time  differ  in  placing  the  total  at  from  one  to  three 
millions;  but  of  the  appearance,  manners,  and  customs  of 
the  natives  they  all  fortunately  pretty  nearly  agree. 

Columbus  himself  states,  that  sending  a party  of  men  to 
one  of  the  villages,  now  thought  to  be  Grosmorne,  in  Hayti, 
they  found  it  to  consist  of  nearly  a thousand  houses,  showing 
that  there  were  at  the  time  towns  of  some  extent. 

^ The  original  inhabitants  were  a mild  and  peaceful  race, 
recommending  themselves  to  Columbus  by  their  ‘^sweet- 
ness of  temper ; ” of  rather  tall  and  graceful  form,  but, 
on  the  part  of  the  men,  of  hideous  visage,  with  nostrils 
wide  and  open,  and  teeth  badly  discoloured.  Their  skin 
was  of  a yellowish  brown  colour  naturally ,.  but  from  the 
habit  of  anointing  their  bodies  with  “roucou,”  and  other 
extracts  of  vegetable  matter,  to  protect  the  skin  from  the 
attacks  of  insects,  it  had  a reddish  appearance. 

The  women  were  considered  as  rather  comely  in  face  as 
in  form,  it  being  related  that  they  took  great  fancy  to  the 
Europeans ; and  the  Spanish  chronicles  are  filled  with 
romantic  episodes  of  the  connections  formed  between  the 
natives  and  the  adventurers. 


ABORIGINES. 


9 


Both  men  and  women  were  abundantly  supplied  with  long 
black  hair  on  their  heads.  The  females  of  mature  age  alone 
wore  clothing,  consisting  of  a simple  skirt  of  cotton  cloth 
around  the  waist,  and  extending  to  the  knees ; while  the 
men,  young  girls,  and  children  were  usually  perfectly  nude. 

The  shape  of  head  peculiar  to  these  people  was  produced 
by  artificial  means,  that  forced  almost  entirely  away  the 
forehead.  This  was  brought  about  b}^  the  mothers,  who 
took  care  to  hold  the  head  of  the  child  strongly  pressed 
between  the  hands,  or  two  pieces  of  flat  board,  while  the 
children  were  yet  newly  born;  from  which,”  naively  says 
an  old  writer,  when  the  children  grew  up,  their  skulls 
became  so  hard  and  compressed,  that  the  Spaniards  fre- 


Caribbean  skull,  after  Gall. 


quently  broke  their  swords  in  two  when  they  attempted  to 
cut  open  their  heads.” 

They  all  seemed  possessed  of  a phlegmatic  temperament, 
the  men  especially  inclined  to  melancholy  ; and  it  is  related 
they  ate  very  little  food,  and  that  of  the  simplest  nature,  a 
peculiarity  noticed  among  their  descendants  to-day.  A crab, 
a few  roots  or  vegetables,  sufficed  to  nourish  them ; but  they 
were  not  endowed  with  much  physical  strength,  and  yet 
there  were  many  long-lived  people  among  them. 

They  did  no  work,  passing  their  lives  in  the  greatest  idle- 
ness ; they  danced  a greater  jiart  of  the  day,  and  when  they 


10 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


- 

u 

■ 

H' 

1 , 
1 

iij 

Drums. 


could  do  that  no  longer,  they  slept.  They  had  no  hopes,  de- 
sires, or  ambitions,  and  some  writers  say  they  were  without 
passions : but  the  account  others  give  of  their  habits  of  in- 
dulgence, of  the  plurality  of  wives,  and  of  their  fierceness 
in  conflict  when  roused,  show  that  this  was  an  error. 

They  had  no  history,  no  writings,  naught  but  traditions, 
upon  which  have  been  generally  conjectured  the  theories 
of  the  authors  of  the  time;  their  songs  alone 
gave  idea  of  these  traditions,  and  to  these 
they  danced,  the  accompaniment  being  the 
noise  made  by  beating  on  a tambor  or  drum 
of  peculiar  construction,  made  of  a hollow 
I cylinder  of  wood,  entirely  closed  except  an 
opening  in  the  side,  and  this  drum  was  at 
times  beaten  by  the  principal  man  or  chief. 
The  same  instrument,  somewhat  varied  in  shape,  seems  to 
be  often  used  by  the  Africans  to-day  in  Cuba. 

These  dances  were  of  various  kinds ; sometimes  the  men 
were  ranged  on  one  side,  the  women  on  the  other ; some- 
times they  began  one  by  one,  until  the  whole  assembly  were 
on  their  feet.  Reading  the  account  of  these  people  in  the 
early  writers,  one  is  not  surprised  to  learn  that  they  were  a 
listless  energy-lacking  people,  for  they  committed  the  gross- 
est sensual  excesses ; they  danced  until  they  could  dance  no 
more,  and'falling  upon  the  ground,  they  intoxicated  them- 
selves with  the  fumes  of  tobacco,  which  they  produced  in  a 
peculiar  wa3^  Upon  some  half-burning  branches  they 
spread  some  leaves  of  the  tobacco -plant  not  yet  quite  dry, 
then  they  took  a tube  made  in  the  form  of  a Y,  the  foot  of 
which  they  placed  in  the  smoke,  and  its  two  arms  in  their 
nostrils,  inhaling  through  it  until  they  were  intoxicated  by 
the  fumes  of  the  tobacco,  when,  prostrated  upon  the  ground, 
they  remained  in  a state  of  stupefaction,  from  which  they 
recovered  utterly  inert  and  feeble ; the  Cacique  alone  being 
carried  from  the  scene  of  these  oriries  bv  his  women  to  a 

O y 

bed  or  hammock. 


CAXOES. 


11 


Polv^amy  seemed  to  be  the  custom,  and  the  women  bad 
charge  of  the  funeral  ceremonies  of  their  husbands,  having 
the  privilege  (?),  if  they  desired,  of  putting  themselves  to 
death  on  the  bodies  of  their  deceased  spouses. 

They  seem  to  have  had  no  implements  or  tools  of  any  kind, 
if  we  except  a sort  of  hatchet,  made  of  stone,  with  which 
they  dressed  their  canoes  or  piraguas,  which  they  made  ex- 
clusively out  of  trees  by  burning  out  the  trunks,  and  to  get 
the  tree  down,  a fire  was  built  round  the  base  of  it  until 


Canoe.  (Oviedo.) 

it  toppled  over.  These  canoes  were  peculiar  in  shape,  difier- 
ing  from  those  of  the  Indians  of  Xorth  America,  and  yet 
were  very  serviceable  in  the  usually  placid  waters  of  the 
islands,  being  propelled  by  paddles,  and  occasionally  by  a 
small  sail  of  cotton  cloth. 

The  habitations  of  these  people  were  in  accordance  with 
the  mild  character  ol  their  climate,  their  houses  being  sim- 
ply huts  of  various  dimensions,  constructed  of  the  bamboo, 
roofed  with  thatch,  or  roofed  and  walled  with  the  palm 
bark  or  leaf.  Tliese  huts  contained  usually  but  one  room, 
and  were  always  only  one  story  in  height,  though  some  ol 


/ 


12 


SAXTO  DOMIXGO. 


Hut.  (Oviedo.) 


the  better  cabins  had  in  front  a portico,  which  seems  to 
have  been  considered  amongst  them  a mark  of  wealth  or 
distinction. 

In  the  gardens,  if  they  can 
be  called  such,  of  their  habi- 
tations, the  owners  grew  a 
few  fruits  and  vegetables, 
including  the  maize  or 
Indian-corn,  of  which  latter 
Benzoni  says  they  harvested 
two  crops  a year,  and  from 
its  grain  they  made,  in  the 
rudest  manner,  a kind  of 
bread,  apparently  similar  to 
the  corn  dodgers”  of  the 
southern  United  States. 

Benzoni’s  description  of 
the  wine  made  also  from  the 
Indian-corn  is  not  calculated  to  encourage  a taste  for  that 
beverage  on 
the  part  of 
the  novice  ; 
for,  he  says, 
the  grain, 
at  one  period 
of  the  manu- 
facture, was 
masticatedby 
the  women, 
who,  putting 
it  in  their 
mouths,  slow- 
ly chewed  it, 
and  then, 
with  an  effort, 

coughed  the  material  out  upon  a platter  or  leaf,  from  whence 


(Hut.  Oviedo  ) 


WINE-MA  KIXG. 


13 


it  was  thrown  into  a jar  with  the  other  mixtui'e,  and 
boiled. 


Wine-making.  (Benzoni.) 


Curiously  enough,  this  method  of  wine-making  prevails 
to-day  among  some  of  the  islands  of  the  Pacific  Ocean. 

The  natives  used  also  another 
kind  of  bread,  called  cassava, 
inside  from  the  manioc  or  yuca 
root ; and  many  of  their  customs, 
as  described,  are  similar  to  those 
of  the  people  of  the  interior  of  the 
island  to-day. 

The  wonderful  fertility  of  the 
soil,  in  those  early  days,  may  be 
j udged  from  the  fact  that  the  only 
implement  used  in  its  cultivation 
was  a pointed  stick,  burned  hard 
in  the  fire,  'with  which  holes  were 


Idol. 


14 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


made  in  the  ground,  into  which  were  placed  the  seeds  of 
the  few  plants  they  needed  to  cultivate. 

The  same  products  brought  forth  then 
by  the  bountiful  hand  of  Nature  are 
still  poured  out  in  lavish  profusion,  al- 
most unaided  by  the  hand  of  man. 

The  religion  of  these  islanders  was 
the  worship  of  idols,  cut  out  of  stone, 
in  the  rudest  manner,  to  represent 
grotesque  ammals”  or  human  beings, 
the  name  of  these  gods  being  zemes. 

One  of  their  traditions  was,  that  the 
sun  and  moon  came  out  of  a cavern  of 
their  isle,  and  were  made  to  enlighten 
the  world;  to  this  cavern  the  natives 
made  pilgrimages  ; one  of  these  had 
an  entrance,  it  is  related,  near  Dondon, 
in  the  northern  part  of  Hayti ; and 
St  Mery  says,  when  he  visited  it,  as  late  as  1789,  remnants 


Figures  cut  in  the  rock. 


RELIGION. 


15 


of  rude  sculpture  on  the  walls  of  the  grotto,  and  idols, 
were  yet  to  be  seen  there  ; while  traces  of  the  offerings 
brought  for  the  gods  have  been  found  in  many  of  the 
caverns  in  the  island. 

The  special  ceremony  seems  to  have  been  one  appointed  by 
the  Cacique,  calling  all  the  people  together  on  a certain 
day ; and  they,  joining  in  procession,  with  the  Cacique  at 
their  head,  resorted  to  the  temple,  where  were  the  gods  and 
the  priests  or  butios,”  being  accompanied  in  their  march 


Curing  the  sick.  (Hakluyt  after  Benzoni.) 


by  the  beating  of  drums  and  tambours.  Offerings  wwe 
made  of  various  kinds,  often  amid  the  wildest  cries  and 
noises ; and  others,”  says  Benzoni,  put  sticks  down 
their  throats  w^hen  they  went  before  the  idols,  so  that  their 
gods  might  see  that  they  had  nothing  bad  in  their  hearts  or 
stomachs  when  they  vomited.” 

The  priests  acted  as  doctors,  using  plants  in  lieu  of 
drugs,  making  particular  use  of  tobacco  in  most  cases, 
which  they  administered  to  the  patient  until  he  was 

4 


16 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


stupefied,  and  upon  returning  to  himself  he  was  considered 
as  cured. 

The  original  name  of  the  island  was  Haiti,  which  among 
the  natives  signified  high  ground;  and  in  the  eastern 
part  they  had  another  name,  Quisqueya,  signifying  mother 
of  the  earth ; while,  in  the  western  part,  it  was  called 
Babeque  or  Bohio,  which  signified  land  of  many  villages 
or  habitations. 

At  the  time  of  its  discovery,' it  was  divided  into  five  large 
divisions,  each  under  the  government  of  a Cacique  (a  name 
equally  applicable  to  a chief  or  a province),  and  each  of 
these  divisions  was  subdivided  into  minor  provinces. 

The  government  was  despotic,  though  it  seems  to  have 
been  mild  in  its  execution  of  authority,  except  in  extreme 
cases,  as  in  robberies,  where  the  offender  was  impaled  to 
death.  The  government  of  the  principalities  was  hereditary, 
but  if  a Cacique  died  without  children,  his  estates  passed 
to  his  sisters  rather  than  his  brothers,  for  the  reason,  as 
they  held,  that  the  children  were  more  likely  to  be  of  pure 
blood. 

The  following  were  the  five  districts,  viz. : — 

Magna,  in  the  Indian  dialect  signifying  realm  of  the 
plain,”  its  capital  being  where  was  afterwards  built  the  old 
town  of  Concepcion  de  la  Vega,  in  the  interior  of  the  island  ; 
its  chief  was  Gruarionex. 

Marien  had  its  capital  in  the  vicinity  of  Cape  Haytien  or 
Francais,  its  chief  being  Guacanarie. 

Higuey  had  its  capital  in  the  present  village  of  the  same 
name,  so  renowned  in  the  annals  of  superstition  of  the  island, 
the  Cacique  Cayacoa  having  it  under  his  command. 

Maguana  had  its  capital  where  now  is  San  Juan,  the 
Cacique  being  the  famous  Caonabo,  so  celebrated  in  the  sad 
but  romantic  history  of  these  people. 

Xaragua  had  its  capital  in  the  plain  of  the  cul  de  sac 
in  the  Haytian  part,  where  was  at  one  time  the  old  town 
of  the  same  name.  Bebechio  was  its  chief. 


DIVISIONS. 


17 


Though  the  island  was  thus  subdivided,  there  appears  to 
have  been  but  one  race  upon  it,  unless  the  theory  that  some 
authors  have  raised,  that  those  in  the  western  part,  from 
being  more  warlike  and  savage  in  their  manners,  were  of  a 
distinct  race : but  the  same  language,  with  some  varia- 
tions, seems  to  have  prevailed. 

This  language,  says  Charlevoix,  was  not  rude  or  uncouth, 


Hammock.  (Oviedo.) 


but  was  easy  to  learn,  and  some  of  their  words  were  after- 
wards incorporated  in  the  dialect  of  the  island.  From  their 
word  canoa  came  canot  (canoe);  from  d'  uracane  (hurricane), 
ouragan  ; while  not  only  was  the  word  d'^amacha  (ham- 
mock) adopted,  but  the  article  itself  found  its  way  into 
general  use  by  the  new-comers. 


CHAPTER  II. 


“ Wlien  first  Columbus  dared  the  'Westera  Main, 
Spanned  the  broad  gulf,  and  gave  a world  to  Spain, 
How  thrilled  his  soul  with  tumults  of  delight. 
When  through  the  silence  of  the  sleepless  night 
Burst  shouts  of  triumph ! ” 


The  Conquest  — Landing  of  Columbus  — First  Settleme7it — 
Columbus's  Return  on  Second  Voyage,  and  Foimding  of  the 
First  Pen7ianent  Colony  — Expeditions  to  the  l7iterior — 
Settlements  there — Rapid  Advance  of  the  Isla7id — Columbus's 
Hard  Treat7nent — Ovando's  Rule. 

A T daybreak,  on  the  morning  of  the  6th  of  December 
1492,  Christopher  Columbus  found  himself  a short 
distance  from  the  north-west  coast  of  the  island  of  Hayti ; 
and  at  vespers  of  the  same  day  he  entered  a bay  on  the  same 
coast,  which,  in  honour  of  its  being  the  fete  day  of  San 
Xicolas,  he  called  by  that  name,  and  which  it  has  retained 
up  to  the  present  time. 

A drawing,  said  to  have  been  made  by  Columbus,  at- 
tempts to  give  an  idea  of  his  first  arrival  off  the  island. 
It  suggests,  however,  but  two  ideas,  that  the  country  was 
hilly  and  that  the  inhabitants  went  naked ; but  his  written 
descriptions  give  a very  accurate  idea  of  the  country.  In 
fact,  the  traveller  of  to-day,  with  these  in  his  hand,  will 
need  no  better  guide  to  the  general  characteristics  of  this 
v^ery  same  coast. 

Sailing  leisurely  along  the  coast,  he  entered  a port  that 
he  called  Concepcion  ; and  there  erecting  a cross  upon  the 
shore,  he  took  possession  of  the  island  for  the  King  and 
Queen  of  Spain,  giving  it  the  name,  which  it  bore  for  a 


FIRST  SETTLEMENT. 


19 


long  time  among  the  early  writers,  of  Hispanola,”  many 
of  whom  spoke  of  it  also  as  the  Spanish  Island.” 

The  first  settlement  was  temporarily  made  in  the  Bay  of 
St  Thomas,  to-day  called  Aeul  (in  Haiti),  and  originated 


Sketch  by  Columbus. 

through  the  wrecking  of  one  of  the  two  remaining  caravels  ; 
for  Martin  Pinzon  had  deserted  Coliimhus  oif  the  coast  of 
Cuba  with  the  third.  From  the  materials  of  the  wreck  a 
fort  or  tower  was  built,  which  was  called  La  Navidad. 


20 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


Here  it  was  tliat  Columbus  first  heard  of  the  gold  regions 


The  Cai*avels. 


tions  as  to  their  conduct  during 
4th  January  1493  he  took  hi^ 
whom  was  he  ever  to  see  again. 


of  the  Cibao ; but,  natur- 
ally enough,  his  great  aim 
was  now  to  return  safely 
to  Spain,  and  make  known 
the  news  of  his  great  dis- 
covery. Having  therefore 
■ gathered  from  the  Indians 
many  articles  rudely  work- 
ed in  gold,  as  well  as  other 
curiosities,  he  was  anxious 
to  set  sail,  and  convey  the 
grand  tidings  in  person 
to  his  sovereigns. 

He  left,  therefore,  a 
small  party  of  men  with 
munitions,  provisions,  and 
other  supplies,  to  keep 
them  for  a year,  giving 
also  abundant  instruc- 
his  absence ; and  on  the 
leave^ of  them,  not  one  of 


Sailing  eastward  along  the  coast,  and  stopping  occa- 
sionally, he  was  joined  at  Monte  Cristo  by  the  missing  vessel 
that  he  had  parted  from  in  Cuba ; and  having  a favourable 
wind,  he  set  sail,  continuing  his  voyage.  At  one  of  these 
stoppages,  Columbus  saw  a new  sort  of  creature,  which 
he  gravely  stated  to  be  sirens  or  mermaids,  but  which  were 
the  ^^manati”  or  sea-cow,  which  are  still  found  in  these 
waters,  and  which,  from  their  strange  form,  their  gambols 
in  the  water,  and  the  peculiar  plaintive  cry  they  emit, 
might  readily,  when  seen  at  a distance,  be  taken  by  the 
novice  for  semi-human  beings. 

Finally,  having  reached  the  Bay  of  Sam  an  a,  he  deter- 
mined to  set  sail  for  Spain,  which  place  he  reached  the  15th 


SECOND  EXPEDITION 


21 


of  Marcli  1493,  entering  into  the  port  of  Palos,  from  whence 
he  had  sailed  the  3d  of  August  in  the  preceding  year. 

The  important  results  of  this  great  discovery  were  now 
to  be  r'ealised ; for,  after  the  reception  of  Columbus,  and 
the  excitement  caused  thereby,  had  somewhat  subsided, 
attention  was  given  to  the  means  to  profit  by  this  great 
discovery,  and  immediate  preparations  were  made  to  fit  out 
an  expedition  on  a larger  scale. 

The  departure  of  this  second  expedition  was  very  different 
from  that  of  the  first,  for  gathered  together  in  the  Bay  ot 
Cadiz  were  seventeen  vessels  of  different  sizes,  two  of  them 
being  of  the  largest  class ; and  upon  these  were  gathered 
some  1200  men,  of  every  rank  and  station,  from  the  noble 
to  the  humble  labourer;  there  were  also  skilful  pilots,  as 
well  as  many  artisans  of  various  kinds.  Stores  of  all  kinds 
were  also  put  on  hoard,  as  well  for  the  purposes  of  existence 
as  for  trading,  while  particular  attention  was  paid  to  the 
supplies  needed  by  a new  colony  in  making  a permanent 
settlement.  Upon  Columbus  himself  had  been  bestowed  the 
chief  command  of  the  expedition,  and  to  him  had  been  ac- 
corded also  unlimited  power  over  the  new  territory. 

Among  the  supplies,  one  of  the  most  important  in  the 
future  welfare  of  the  colony  was  the  different  animals  taken 
out  for  breeding  purposes ; for,  strangely  enough,  the  islands 
of  the  Antilles  do  not  seem  to  have  been  possessed  of  quad- 
rupeds of  any  note,  and  mention  is  made  of  only  some  four 
kinds,  all  of  which  are  to-day  extinct  except  the  agouti. 
Of  these,  the  coati,  a sort  of  cat,  and  the  cories  or  agouti, 
a species  of  hare,  are  only  mentioned  as  furnishing  animal 
food  to  the  natives,  if  we  except  the  flesh  of  the  iguana, 
which  still  exists,  and  is  considered  a great  delicacy. 

On  the  25th  September  1493,  in  the  presence  of  a vast 
concourse  of  spectators,  this  second  expedition  set  sail  from 
the  Bay  of  Cadiz,  and  after  a prosperous  voyage,  touching  at 
various  points  and  islands,  the  fleet  came  to  anchor  in  the 
Bay  of  Samana,  the  22d  November  1493. 


22 


SAXTO  DOMIXGO. 


On  coasting  the  shore  of  the  north  coast  for  the  Bay  of  St 
Thomas,  the  Admiral  was  informed  by  an  Indian  of  the  fate 
that  had  befallen  the  settlers  he  had  left  at  La  Navidad,  in 
that  bay,  by  which  every  one  had  perished  at  the  hands  of 
the  natives,  in  revenge  for  injuries  inflicted  on  them  by  the 
Spaniards,  and  the  settlement  liad  been  reduced  to  ashes. 


The  Agouti. 


Columbus  then  resolved  to  establish  his  new  city  in  a dif- 
ferent place ; and  afterhavingsen  t some  parties  into  the  region 
about  Monte  Cristo  to  explore  the  country,  he  continued 
along  the  coast,  until,  deeming  it  a favourable  place,  he 
establislied,  on  the  banks  of  a small  stream,  his  new  settle- 
ment, which,  in  honour  of  the  Queen,  he  called  Isabella. 


EXPLORATIONS. 


23 


This  settlement,  with  the  intention  of  making  it  per- 
manent, he  laid  out  in  the  form  of  a regular  town,  with 
streets  at  right  angles,  and  constructed  there  also  a sub- 
stantial church  of  stone,  as  also  some  of  the  officers’  houses 
of  the  same  material ; the  whole  being  surrounded  by  a 
wall  and  ditch,  as  a protection  against  the  Indians. 


The  Caiti. 


Having  thus  made  a starting-point  in  the  island,  he 
began  to  send  out  expeditions  to  the  interior,  and  so  favour- 
able were  the  reports  made  by  these  parties  on  their  return, 
that  he  determined  himself  to  penetrate  into  the  interior,  to 
the  region  described  to  him  at  St  Thomas,  which  he  called 
Cipangi,  celebrated  for  its  gold  ; this  is  the  region  known 
then,  as  now,  as  the  Cibao. 


24 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


Elated  with  these  descriptions,  and  anticipating  much 
for  the  future,  the  Admiral  determined  to  send  advices  to 
Spain,  and  on  the  2d  of  February  1494,  he  despatched  the 
fleet,  loaded  with  gold  specimens  and  other  products,  send- 
ing by  it  also  glowing  accounts  to  the  King  and  Queen  of 
the  advantages  that  would  accrue  to  Spain  by  the  rapid 
colonisation  of  the  island. 

Columbus  seems  to  have  been  unfortunate  in  the  selection 
of  his  flrst  site  for  a settlement,  as  the  spot  chosen  was  a 
very  unhealthy  one  ; and  is  to-day  a noted  place  for  fevers, 
it  being  in  a low  marshy  situation,  and  in  some  degree 
sheltered  from  the  healthful  breezes  of  the  north ; from 
hence,  however,  he  despatched  Ojeda  to  explore  the  interior. 

Many  of  his  people  were  taken  sick,  and  he  himself,  worn 
out  with  work  and  care,  fell  a prey  to  the  attacks  of  disease, 
but  happily  recovering,  he  made  preparations  for  a journey 
to  the  interior,  from  which  he  was  delayed  by  the  discovery 
of  an  insurrection  incited  by  Bernal  Diaz  and  his  friends, 
that  had  for  its  object  the  breaking  up  of  the  colony,  and 
the  returning  to  Spain  of  the  colonists,  on  the  plea  that  the 
promises  of  gold  were  a delusion,  as  this  mineral  was  only  to 
be  found  in  the  smallest  quantity,  that  which  was  in  the  pos- 
session of  the  natives  being  the  accumulation  of  many  years. 

Columbus  having  put  an  end  to  this  mutiny,  and  punished 
some  of  the  mutineers,  sallied  out  the  14th  da}^  of  March 
1494,  at  the  head  of  400  men,  on  his  expedition  to  the  inte- 
rior ; and  following  the  route  taken  by  Ojeda  in  his  expedi- 
tion, he  penetrated  with  much  difficulty  into  the  interior  of 
the  region  known  as  the  Cibao,  where,  on  the  banks  of  the 
river  Janico,  he  established  a fortress,  which  he  called  St 
Thomas,  presumed  to  be  in  the  now  impenetrable  region 
known  as  the  Yalla  de  Constanza. 

On  the  completion  of  this  fort,  he  gave  the  command  of 
it  to  Pedro  de  Margarita,  and  returned,  March  29,  1494, 
to  Isabella,  which  he  had  left  under  the  governorship  of  his 
brother  Don  Diego. 


DISCOFTENTME  NT. 


25 


Here  lie  found  matters  in  a very  unsettled  state,  for  the 
inhabitants  were  discontented  and  sick,  many  of  them 
utterly  disappointed  and  desponding  over  the  paradise  that 
had  been  so  glowingly  described  to  them.  This  state  of 
affairs,  in  addition  to  the  unhealthiness  of  the  locality,  was 
caused  from  the  fact  that  many  of  the  settlers  were  utterly 
useless,  inefficient  men,  who  joining  the  expedition  without 
the  slightest  knowledge  of  any  vocation  or  trade,  had  ex- 
pected they  were  simply  .to  pick  up  gold  as  they  wanted, 
while  leading  a life  of  indulgence  and  idleness. 

Columbus  receiving  at  this  time  news  from  the  fort  that 
he  had  established  in  the  interior  of  a threatened  attack  of 
the  now  united  Indians  against  it,  he  deemed  this  a good 
opportunity  to  rid  the  town  of  these  fractious  spirits,  and 
under  the  plea  of  strengthening  that  garrison,  he  selected 
all  such  men,  to  the  number  of  400,  and  sent  them  under 
Ojeda  to  the  interior. 

Columbus  now  occupied  himself  in  regulating  the  affairs 
of  Isabella,  which  being  permanently  established,  became 
the  first  Christian  settlement  in  the  New  World.  He  created 
a council,  over  which  presided  his  brother  Diego,  composed 
of  the  priest  Father  Boil  and  four  of  the  most  prominent 
men,  and  fondly  hoped  from  this  small  beginning  the 
greatest  results  would  fiow. 

Columbus,  in  thus  establishing  the  colony  of  Isabella, 
had  set  up  the'  corner-stone  of  civilisation  in  the  New 
World,  upon  which  were  to  be  erected  structures  that  he  in 
his  wildest  dreams  had  never  pictured ; and  as  little  dreamed 
he  that,  within  300  years  of  his  great  discovery,  his  own  last 
resting-place,  though  within  the  very  walls  of  a city  he 
himself  had  originated,  would  be  a matter  of  doubt,  uncer- 
tainty, and  neglect ; while  the  spot  which  he  established  in 
grateful  remembrance  of  the  Queen  his  benefactress,  and  to 
which  he  gave  her  name,  should  be  a deserted  heap  of  ruins, 
entirely  obscured  by  the  rank  vegetation  of  the  land  he  had 
described  to  her  in  such  glowing  terms. 


26 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


But  the  tide  of  emigration,  once  started  for  these  new 
lands,  ceased  not  to  flow ; and  each  year,  while  he  himself 
was  prosecuting  further  voyages  of  discovery,  saw  accessions 
to  the  numbers  of  those  who,  spreading  themselves  through- 
out the  island,  managed  to  gain  riches  which,  in  most  cases, 
were  acquired  not  only  at  the  expense  of  the  liberty,  but  of 
the  lives  of  the  native  inhabitants. 

During  Columbus’  absence  on  further  vo5^ages  of  dis- 
covery, the  Indians  had  united  their  forces,  and  given  the 
Spaniards  of  the  interior  much  trouble  ; so  that,  on  the  re- 
turn of  the  Admiral,  on  the  4th  of  September,  sick,  and  worn 
out  with  fatigue,  he  was  compelled  to  take  very  decided 


A Spanish  Attack.  (De  Bry.) 


action  against  them,  the  more  especially  as  at  Isabella  the 
council  and  authorities  had  been  occupying  themselves  in 
quarrels  and  dissensions  rather  than  with  the  necessary 
cares  of  the  colony. 

The  native  chiefs  were  now,  with  one  exception,  united 
in  open  arms  against  the  Spaniards,  besieging  them  in  their 
fort  of  St  Thomas  ; and  therefore,  taking  with  him  a strong 
force,  Columbus  started,  March  27,  1495,  from  Isabella, 
on  a tour  of  complete  conquest  j in  which  he  not  only  rescued 
the  beleaguered  garrison,  but  forced  the  Indians  to  make 


GOLD-MINES. 


27 


peace,  while  at  the  same  time  he  established  another  fort  in 
the  interior,  called  Concepcion.  These  trips  of  the  Spa- 
niards into  the  depths  of  a savage  wilderness  infested  with 
large  numbers  of  hostile  Indians  seem,  as  we  read  their 
accounts  in  early  writers,  or  the  glowing  pages  of  Irving, 
like  fabled  romance ; and  it  is  only  when  we  discover  that 
these  parties  of  adventurers,  small  in  number  as  they  were, 
owed  great  part  of  their  success  to  the  fact  that  their  armour 
protected  them  from  the  rude  missiles  of  the  disproportionate 
numbers  of  the  Indians,  while  the  effect  of  the  fiery  Spanish 
horses,  animals  entirely  unknown  to  the  natives,  added  to 
the  use  of  their  arquebusses,  actually  quelled  the  Indians 
into  submission,  as  much  by  their  effect  morally  as  by  their 
positive  use. 

The  success  of  the  Spaniards  was  followed  by  the  capture 
of  two  of  the  principal  chiefs,  and  by  the  imposition  upon 
the  different  tribes  of  a tribute,  to  be  paid  in  gold  and  cot- 
ton ; and  from  this  time  forth  may  be  dated  the  beginning 
of  that  servitude  of  the  natives,  which,  in  a very  few  years, 
was  to  sweep  them  almost  entirely  from  the  island,  such 
was  the  severity  of  the  yoke  imposed  upon  them  by  the 
Spaniards. 

Before  the  contemplated  return  of  Columbus  to  Spain,  in- 
formation was  brought  him  by  one  Miguel  Diaz  of  the  dis- 
covery of  some  gold-mines  in  the  banks  of  the  river  Jaina, 
eight  leagues  from  its  mouth,  towards  the  southern  side  of 
the  island ; and  such  was  the  enthusiasm  created  by  this 
news,  that  Columbus  authorised  his  brother  Bartholomew 
to  investigate  the  fact,  and  finding  the  news  founded  in 
truth,  directed  him  to  establish  a fort  there,  as  also  to  enter 
into  the  working  of  the  mines. 

Meanwhile,  as  he  himself  had  determined  to  return  to 
Spain,  he  appointed  his  brother  Bartholomew  to  be  chief- 
in-command  during  his  absence,  with  the  title  of  Adelan- 
tado  or  Governor,  and  designating  also,  in  case  of  accident, 
his  other  brother,  Diego,  to  succeed  him.  The  Admiral 


28 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


having  sailed  for  Spain  the  10th  of  March  1496,  the  Ade- 
lantado  set  himself  to  work  to  carry  out  the  plans  of  Colum- 
bus in  the  working  of  the  mines,  and  leaving  his  brother 
Diego  in  command  at  Isabella,  he  himself  went  to  Jaina, 
where  were  established  the  works  known  as  those  of  Buena- 
ventura, still  in  existence  in  a ruined  condition,  north  of  the 
town  of  San  Christobal.  Here  he  remained  some  three 
months,  when  he  deemed  it  necessary  to  visit  the  town  of 
Concepcion,  in  the  interior,  to  receive  the  tribute  from  the 
natives. 

The  arrival  of  reinforcements  and  supplies  at  Isabella 
shortly  after  brought  the  news  of  the  safe  return  of 
Columbus  to  Spain,  and  his  honoured  reception  there,  as 
well  as  an  order  from  the  Admiral  for  the  Adelantado  to 
establish  a settlement  on  the  Ozama  river,  at  its  mouth, 
where  it  emptied  into  the  southern  sea.  The  Adelantado 
complied  with  these  instructions  by  going  himself  to  estab- 
lish on  the  left  hank  of  the  river  the  town,  which  was  at 
first  called  Hew  Isabella,  hut  afterwards  received  the  name 
of  Santo  Domingo,  the  first  stone  being  laid  there  on  the 
4th  August  1496;  and  with  the  foundation  of  this  famous 
city  began  the  career  of  glory  and  discovery  in  the  New 
World  destined  to  render  immortal  the  names  of  so  many 
Spaniards. 

The  Adelantado  seems  to  have  been  an  earnest,  energetic 
man,  and  every  effort  was  used  by  him  to  further  the  inte- 
rests of  the  colony ; and  we  find  him  at  this  time  making 
continual  journeys  throughout  the  island,  now  establishing 
a new  town,  now  developing  a mine,  and  again  making 
war  upon  the  rebellious  natives. 

Meanwhile,  at  the  first  settlement  established,  the  town  of 
Isabella,  matters  were  going  from  had  to  worse,  for  affairs 
there  were  in  a most  deplorable  state,  owing  to  the  general 
sickness  of  the  inhabitants,  and  the  cessation  of  agricultural 
labours,  caused  by  the  flight  of  the  Indians,  who,  driven  to 
a labour  to  which  they  were  entirely  unaccustomed,  under 


ROLDAN. 


29 


the  harshest  kiud  of  treatment,  sought  relief  in  the  wood& 
and  mountain  fastnesses. 

Following  close  upon  this  state  of  things  came  the  mutiny 
of  Roldan,  who  had  been  appointed  alcalde-mayor,  or  chief- 
justice  of  the  town,  and  who,  in  his  ambitious  projects,  de- 
sired to  have  the  chief  command.  Notwithstanding  the 
active  efforts  of  the  two  Columbuses,  this  mutiny  gained 
strength  and  followers  among  the  discontented'  colonists, 
and  they  had  even  the  audacity  to  sack  the  public  storehouses 
at  Isabella;  a state  of  affairs  that  continued  until  Columbus 
• himself  returned  from  Spain,  the  30th  of  August  1498. 

Columbus,  mortified  with  the  state  of  affairs  in  the 
colony,  used  every  effort  to  bring  about  peace  and  tran- 
quillity among  the  colonists ; but  the  power  of  Roldan  had 
increased  to  such  an  extent,  that,  humiliating  as  it  was  to 
the  feelings  of  the  great  commander  to  make  terms  with 
the  rebel,  he,  for  the  sake  of  the  welfare  of  the  colony,  com- 
promised with  Roldan  and  -his  followers,  by  which  the 
former  was  reinstated  in  his  office  of  alcalde-mayor,  while 
those  of  his  followers  who  wished  to  remain  were  each 
allotted  a certain  amount  of  land,  and  a certain  number  of 
Indians  to  work  the  same;  the  others  were  permitted  to 
return  to  Spain.  By  this  act  was  established  that  system 
known  as  repartimientos^  destined  to  be  such  a cause,  in 
the  future,  of  quarrels  amongst  the  Spaniards  and  misery 
to  the  aborigines. 

Columbus,  who  had  established  himself  at  St  Domingo, 
was  not,  however,  destined  to  remain  without  further 
troubles ; for  the  Indians  known  as  the  Ciguayos  endea- 
voured to  release  their  captured  chief  Mayobanex  by  a 
rising  against  the  Spaniards ; and  this  affair  was  hardly 
quelled  when  Ojeda  attempted  to  enslave  the  Indians  for 
the  purpose  of  carrying  a number  of  them  to  the  newly- 
acquired  lands  of  Terra  Firma.  In  both  these  affairs, 
the  former  rebel,  Roldan,  acquitted  himself  with  honour, 
honesty,  and  bravery  in  asserting  the  rights  of  Columbus. 


30 


SANTO  DOMINGO, 


Matters  being  however  tranquillised,  affairs  in  the  colony 
began  to  improve : the  mines  were  in  profitable  working 
order,  and  great  advances  were  made  in  agriculture,  while 
many  towns  in  the  island  were  permanently  established ; 

and  we  find  in  1499 
among  these  the 
names  mentioned  of 
Santo  Domingo, Isa- 
bella, Concepcion  de 
la  Vega,  Santiago, 
Puerto  Plata,  and 
Bonao  as  flourish- 
ing places,  wPile 
others  that  had  been 
temporarily  estab- 
lished were  dying 
out. 

The  year  1500  will 
always  be  memor- 
able in  the  annals 
of  the  island  as  that 
in  which  the  in- 
famous Bobadilla 
came  out  from 
Spain,  arriving  at 
St  Domingo  city  at 
a time  when  Colum- 
bus was  in  the  in- 
terior of  the  island. 


The  Citadel. 


Although  this  officer 


was  sent  out  from  Spain  clothed  with  certain  powers  and 
authority  to  investigate  matters  on  the  island,  he  so  far  ex- 
ceeded these  as  to  seize  upon  the  persons  of  Columbus  and 
his  brother  Bartholomew,  and  throw  them  into  prison,  treat- 
ing them  with  every  indignity,  even  to  sending  them  to 
Spain  in  chains.  The  cell  in  which  they  were  confined  is 


ST  DOMINGO  REBUILT. 


31 


still  shown  in  the  old  citadel  of  St  Domingo  city,  and  is  a 
moderate-sized  square  room,  with  a grated  window  in  the 
immensely  thick  wall, — a limited  space  for  a man  who  had 
given  such  immense  territories  to  the  world. 

Happily  for  the  island,  the  governorship  of  this  man 
lasted  for  a short  time  only,  as  no  sooner  did  the  news  reach 
Spain  of  his  treatment  of  Columbus,  than  Nicholas  de 
Ovando  was  appointed  Governor  of  the  island,  as  also  of  all 
the  Indies.  Going  out  in  great  state,  with  a large  number 
of  followers,  Ovando  took  with  him  a plentiful  supply  of 
arms  and  artillery ; and  on  the  15th  April  1502,  he  reached 
the  island  and  relieved  Bobadilla  of  his  command. 

The  superstitious  might  think,  in  the  events  that  imme- 
diately follow,  there  was  a miraculous  intervention  of  Pro- 
vidence in  favour  of  Columbus,  who  having  been  restored  to 
favour,  was  again  in  these  waters  with  his  fleet  on  another 
voyage  of  discovery,  and  being  desirous  of  changing  one 
of  his  vessels,  had  sought  refuge  at  St  Domingo.  Ovando, 
however,  declined  to  allow  him  to  enter  the  port,  and  Co- 
lumbus foreseeing  and  prophesying  a storm,  took  shelter  in 
the  Bay  of  Ocoa.  Meanwhile,  some  of  the  property  of 
Columbus  had  been  placed  upon  the  vessels  of  the  fleet  in 
which  Bobadilla  was  intending  to  return  to  Spain,  and  in 
the  same  fleet  was  Roldan,  and  the  chief  Guarionex. 
Though  Columbus  gave  warning  of  the  threatened  storm, 
no  attention  was  paid  to  it,  and  the  fleet  had  hardly  set 
sail  when  the  storm  broke  upon  it,  and  the  whole  of  the 
vessels,  with  the  exception  of  two,  were  lost  with  all  their 
crews.  In  these  two  vessels  was  the  property  of  Columbus. 
In  the  same  storm  the  town  of  St  Domingo  was  utterly 
annihilated. 

Ovando  the  Governor,  who  seems  to  have  been  a man  of 
great  energy,  resolved,  however,  to  rebuild  the  city,  but 
upon  the  other  side  of  the  Ozama,  on  the  site  of  the  present 
city  ; and  with  its  re-erection  begins  a career  of  unexampled 
5 


32 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


prosperity  for  the  island,  a career  which  unfortunately  lasted 
but  for  a limited  period  of  years. 

The  building  of  the  new  city  did  not,  however,  prevent 
Ovando  from  prosecuting  the  war  for  the  entire  conquest  of 
the  island  from  the  aborigines,  for  he  carried  on  his  opera- 
tions against  them  with  such  zeal,  that  it  was  not  long  before 
the  two  remaining  principalities  of  Jaragua  and  Higuey 
were  subdued,  but  not  until  deeds  of  treachery,  cruelty,  and 
bloodshed  were  perpetrated  that  will’ for  ever  cast  a blot 
upon  the  name  of  Ovando. 

The  reader  of  Irving  will  readilv  recall  some  of  the 
romantic  passages  in  these  bloody  annals,  in  which  the  sad 
story  of  the  Princess  Anacoana  and  the  Cacique  Cotubanama 
are  related  at  length.  Suffice  it  to  say  here,  that  with  their 
capture  may  be  said  to  have  ended  the  period  of  the  con- 
quest of  the  island. 


CHAPTER  III. 


“ The  Spaniard  came  . . . 

•With  toil  and  -woes  he  crushed  his  wretched  slaves, 
Till  murdered  nations  sunk  into  their  graves ; 

Then,  to  replace  his  victims,  fiercely  tore 
The  helpless  negro  from  his  native  shore.  ” 


The  Early  Spaniards — Their  Treatment  of  the  Natives — Ovan- 
(id’s  Rule — Habits  of  the  Spaniards — Negro  Slaves — Rapid 
Decrease  of  the  Aborigines — Sugar-making — Diego  Columbus 
and  his  Successors — The  War  of  Enrique^  aiid  Final  Peace. 


"^/^HILE  Columbus,  on  bis  fourth  voyage,  after  having 
warred  with  some  furious  hurricanes  and  violent 


tempests,  was  obliged  to  take  shelter  in  Jamaica,  the 
Island  of  St  Domingo  was  the  theatre  of  several  remark- 


able events. 

This  colony,  the  model  and  the  source  of  all  the  later 
establishments  that  Spain  has  founded  in  the  New  World, 
acquired  by  degrees  the  form  of  a society  regular  and 
flourishing. 


The  tender  care,  full  of  humanity,  that  the  Queen  Isa- 
bella had  evinced  for  the  protection  of  the  Indians,  and 
the  special  laws  passed,  by  which  was  enacted  their  free- 
dom from  oppression  and  enforced  labour,  delayed  for  some 
time  the  industrial  interests  of  the  island ; because  the 
natives,  seeing  happiness  only  in  the  indulgence  of  their 
indolent  habits,  could  not  be  tempted  to  physical  labour 
by  the  doubtful  promises  and  recompenses  of  the  Spaniards, 
their  conquerors ; the  result  of  which  was,  that  the  latter 


34 


, SANTO  DOMINGO. 


lacked  the  necessary  labourers  for  the  working  of  the  mines 
and  the  cultivation  of  the  soil. 

Accustomed  to  the  service  of  the  Indians,  several  of  the 
first  colonists  abandoned  the  island  when  they  saw  them- 
selves deprived  of  the  instruments  without  which  they 
could  do  nothing ; added  to  this,  some  maladies  peculiar 
to  it,  or,  perhaps,  created  by  the  imprudence  of  new- 
comers, developed  themselves ; and  a great  number  of 
those  who  had  arrived  with  Ovando  ‘succumbed  to  the  at- 
tacks of  disease,  and  in  a short  time  more  than  a thousand 
perished,  because,  without  food  and  preparation,  they  had 
proceeded  to  the  mines,  where  they  died  of  sickness  and 
starvation. 

The  demand  of  half  the  product  of  the  mines  required 
on  the  part  of  the  sovereigns,  seemed  such  an  onerous  con- 
dition, that  no  person  was  willing  to  engage  in  their  work- 
ing at  this  price,  and  the  ruin  of  the  colony  from  these 
causes  appeared  inevitable.  In  truth,  it  would  not  have 
been  able  to  have  sustained  itself  from  the  fate  that  threat- 
ened it,  had  not  Ovando  taken  upon  himself  the  responsi- 
bility of  modifying  the  royal  ordinances.  It  was  the  new 
distribution  of  Indians  he  made  on  this  occasion  that  had 
brought  about  the  uprising  of  the  natives  against  this 
enforced  labour;  and  even  he,  fearing  that  he  would  be 
accused  of  having  forced  the  Indians  again  into  servitude, 
ordered  that  their  masters  should  pay  them  a regular  sum 
as  legitimate  recompense  for  their  labour  ; he  also  reduced 
the  portion  of  gold  intended  for  the  King  from  one  half 
to  a third,  ^nd  then  to  a fifth,  a tax  at  which  it  remained 
fixed  a long'  time. 

It  is  curious,  in  this  connection,  to  read  the  accounts 
of  the  habits  of  these  early  adventurers.  Many  of  them 
were  the  very  dregs  of  the  population  of  Spain  ; in  fact,  in 
order  to  get  recruits  at  one  time,  Columbus  had  induced 
the  authorities  of  Spain  to  pardpn  all  such  malefactors 
as  would  agree  to  emigrate  to  the  new  colony.  Again, 


EARLY  SPANIARDS. 


35 


though  many  of  the  emigrants  were  of  the  labouring 
class,  accustomed  to 
work  for  their  living  in 
Spain,  yet  so  strong  a 
hold  had  the  thought  of 
finding  gold  taken  upon 
them,  that  they  had  no 
idea  of  labouring  them- 
selves in  the  New 
World;  but  constitut- 
ing themselves  masters, 
they  sought  to  force  the 
natives  to  labour  for 

them,  while  they  exer-  A Spanish  Master.  (De  Bry.) 

cised  an  easy  superin- 
tendence, swinging  in  a hammock.  Others  again,  sarcas- 
tically observes  an  old  writer,  who  in  Spain  had  never  known 


Spaniard  in  litter. 


even  the  luxury  of  riding  a mule,  were  not  content,  when 
they  had  gained  some  riches  in  the  New  W^orld,  unless 
they  were  conveyed  in  a luxurious  litter,  between  the  poles 
of  which  were  the  native  Indians. 

The  Indians,  who  had  been  enjoying  the  privileges  of 
freedom  from  labour  and  oppression,  already  felt  in  their 
first  servitude,  found  this  new  yoke  press  so  heavily  upon 


36 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


them,  that  they  made  several  new  attempts  to  recover  their 
liberty. 

The  Spaniards  always  treated  these  efforts  as  rebellion, 
and  took  arms  against  the  natives  with  this  idea.  It  is 
easy  to  imagine  the  result,  in  a contest  between  savages, 
entirely  naked,  on  one  side,  and,  on  the  other,  one  of  the 
most  warlike  nations  of  Europe,  where  science,  courage, 
and  discipline  were  pitted  against  timidity  and  ignorance. 
The  natives  were,  from  the  commencement,  treated  not  as 
people  struggling  for  their  rights  and  freedom,  but  as 
slaves  revolted  against  their  masters. 

No  distinction  was  made  by  the  Spaniards  in  their  treat- 
ment of  these  poor  people ; the  Cacique  was  as  brutally 
punished  as  his  most  humble  follower,  and  this  in  spite  of 
the  treaty  that  had  been  made  between  the  Spaniards  and 
natives;  and  the  unjust  war  made  against  the  people  of  the 
province  of  Higuey  had  ended  in  the  unwarranted  hanging 
of  the  chief  for  having  defended  his  people  with  a bravery 
superior  to  that  of  his  fellow-patriots. 

It  was  in  such  a state  of  affairs  that  Columbus,  return- 
ing from  his  fourth  voyage  of  discovery,  in  which  he  had 
been  wrecked  on  the  Isle  of  Jamaica,  had  stopped  at  St 
Domingo  city,  where  he  was  well  received  by  the  Governor, 
Ovando ; but  who  offended  Columbus’  sense  of  dignity  by 
releasing  from  arrest  one  of  his  men,  Porras,  whom  the 
Admiral  himself  had  ordered  to  be  confined  on  board  one 
of  his  ships,  in  order  that  he  might  be  sent  to  Spain 
to  be  tried  for  mutiny  while  at  Jamaica. 

This  shameful  humiliation  was  too  much  for  the  feelings 
of  Columbus,  and  caused  him  such  mortification,  that  he 
set  sail  from  the  island  for  Spain,  never  again  to  return  to 
the  New  World  alive.  This  event,  in  1504,  was  soon  fol- 
lowed by  the  death  of  his  benefactress,  the  Queen  Isabella, 
who  died  the  same  year,  an  event  that  was  fraught  with 
such  portentous  consequences  for  the  Indians. 

In  memory  of  her  who  had  been  known  as  the  protec- 


OV ANDO'S  RULE. 


37 


tress  of  the  Indians,  her  husband,  King  Ferdinand,  pro- 
posed to  liberate  them  all  from  a state  of  servitude  and 
threatened  destruction,  and  for  this  purpose  he  sent  to 
Ovando  new  orders,  tending  to  better  the  condition  of  the 
Indians. 

As  the  new  plan  would  destroy  entirely  the  system  of 
the  repartimientos  upon  which  the  colonists  now  founded 
their  hopes  of  future  riches,  it  became  the  object  of  the 
most  terrible  opposition,  and  the  Indians  remained  subject 
to  their  yoke  in  spite  of  the  royal  order,  for  they  were 
utterly  powerless  to  help  themselves.  Intimidated  and 
humiliated  by  the  atrocious  treatment  that  they  had  re- 
ceived, the  inhabitants  of  the  whole  island  submitted 
without  further  resistance ; and  the  bloody  Ovando,  ignor- 
ing the  royal  mandate,  and  henceforth  held  by  no  check, 
divided  the  Indians  among  his  friends  and  creatures. 

It  is,  however,  due  to  him  to  say,  that  he  governed  the 
Spaniards  with  a wisdom  and  justice  very  dissimilar  to  the 
barbarity  that  he  exercised  over  the  vanquished  natives. 

He  established  equitable  laws,  and  executed  them  with 
impartiality,  and  accustomed  the  colonists  to  respect  them; 
he  founded  several  towns  in  different  parts,  and  drew  to 
them  inhabitants  by  conceding  various  privileges.  He 
sought  also  to  bring  the  attention  of  the  Spaniards  to 
some  branch  of  industry  more  useful  than  the  mere  work- 
ing of  mines,  in  many  cases  unprofitable ; and  the  sugar- 
cane having  been  brought  to  the  island  in  1506  from  the 
Canaries,  the  richness  of  the  soil  and  the  fertility  of  the 
climate  appeared  so  favourable  to  this  culture,  that  it  was 
soon  made  an  object  of  speculation. 

Though  the  apparatus  for  its  manufacture  was  of  the 
rudest  kind,  large  plantations  were  formed,  mills  estab- 
lished, and  in  a few  years  the  manufacture  of  sugar  was 
the  principal  occupation  of  the  colonists,  and  the  most 
abundant  source  of  their  riches. 

Though  the  wise  measures  that  Ovando  took  were  prin- 


38 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


cipally  seconded  by  the  attention  that  King  Ferdinand, 
gave  to  the  laws  and  the  police  of  the  island,  it  was  menaced 
by  a quick  destruction. 


The  natives,  upon  whose  labours  the  Spaniards  had 
counted  for  the  success  of  their  enterprises,  and  even  for 
the  supplies  for  their  own  existence,  died  so  rapidly,  that 
the  extinction  of  the  entire  race  became  probable. 

When  Columbus  discovered  St  Domingo,  it  certainly 
had,  at  the  lowest  estimate,  a million  of  inhabitants ; 
fifteen  years  were  now  elapsed,  and  they  were  reduced 
to  60,000,  a result  caused  by  the  combination  of  certain 
circumstances. 

The  natives,  possessing  a constitution  more  feeble  than 
that  of  the  Europeans,  could  not  stand  the  same  amount 
of  labour  or  fatigue ; and  the  indolence  and  inaction  in 
which  they  had  previously  passed  their  lives,  as  well  as 
the  inroads  made  upon  their  constitutions  by  their  habits 


X ATI  YE  DEPOPULATIOX. 


39 


of  excess,  rendered  them  incapable  of  any  sustained  effort, 
especially  when  suddenly  begun  and  long  continued,  as 
was  the  case  when  they  were  driven  to  their  hard  daily 
labour ; and  though  their  habits  were  thus  materially 
changed,  it  does  not  seem  that  their  food  was  improved 
to  a more  substantial  fare. 

The  Spaniards,  never  relenting  in  their  vocation  of 
taskmasters,  pushed  these  poor  people  to  the  utmost  ex- 
tremity, until,  worn  out,  without  strength  or  hopes,  they 
put  an  end  in  various  ways  to  their  unfortunate  lives. 

Benzoni  has  made  this  a subject  of  one  of  his  illustra- 
tions, so  well  known  was  this  fact  among  the  early 
chroniclers ; and  following  him,  De  Bry  has  represented 
a perfect  saturnalia  of  suicide,  in  which  every  means  is 
resorted  to  by  the  natives  to  end  their  own  lives  and 
that  of  their  families. 


Suicides.  (Benzoni.) 


When  we  read  how  these  poor  people  were  yoked  to- 
gether like  cattle,  how  men  and  women  were  separated. 


40 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


how  the  men  were  driven  into  the  mines,  while  the  women 
slaved  in  the  fields  under  the  burning  sun,  we  can  readily 
put  faith  in  the  accounts  of  the  self-destruction  of  these 
people,  who  saw  only  in  this  an  easy  way  out  of  their 
misery. 


Gold-mining.  (De  Bry.) 

The  Spaniards,  seeing  themselves  thus  deprived  by  de- 
grees of  the  arms  upon  which  they  were  habituated  to  rely 
for  the  culture  of  their  lands,  were  not  able  any  longer 
to  increase  their  extent,  and,  in  fact,  from  this  time  were 
not  able  to  continue  the  work  already  begun. 

Alarmed  at  this  state  of  things,  and  wishing  to  remed}" 
promptly  this  evil,  Ovando  proposed  to  his  court  to  trans- 
port to  Hispaniola  the  inhabitants  of  the  Lucayos  or 
Bahamas,  a series  of  numerous  small  islands  lying  at  the 
entrance  to  the  Grulf  of  Mexico,  under  the  pretext  that  it 
would  be  easy  to  civilise  them  and  instruct  them  in  the 


OVANBO^S  RECALL. 


41 


Christian  religion,  when  they  .should  be  united  to  the 
Spanish  colony,  where  they  could  be  supervised  by  the 
missionaries. 

Ferdinand,  deceived  by  the  specious  promises  of  Ovando, 
and  perhaps  willing  to  resort  to  any  means  to  keep  up  a 
colony,  then  the  ‘‘Pride  of  Spain,”  consented. 

Several  vessels  were  sent  to  these  islands,  and  with 
them  some  persons  who  spoke  the  language  of  the  islanders ; 
and  these,  giving  the  simple  people  the  most  glowing  ac- 
counts of  the  Spanish  island,  and  the  deliciousness  of  the 
life  there  awaiting  them,  induced  large  numbers  to  accom- 
pany them ; — the  population,  it  is  stated,  of  Hispaniola 
being  increased  to  the  extent  of  40,000  by  these  deluded 
people. 

Notwithstanding  this  effort  to  improve  matters,  these 
various  causes  served  to  discourage  the  Spaniards ; and 
their  favourite  mode  of  enriching  themselves — the  digging 
of  gold — being  unprofitable,  the  more  adventurous  spirits 
cast  about  for  new  regions  to  explore, — their  efforts  result- 
ing in  a series  of  most  wonderful  and  brilliant  discoveries 
and  explorations,  never  before  or  since  equalled.  The  record 
of  these  is  filled  with  the  names  of  such  bold  and  brilliant 
men  as  Cortes,  Balboa,  Pizarro,  De  Soto,  and  many  others. 

De  Ovando  had  now  been  in  office  from  1501,  and 
although  he  had  undoubtedly  benefited  the  island  by  his 
government,  many  complaints  had  been  made  against  him, 
to  al]  of  which  Ferdinand  had  turned  a deaf  ear  for  a long 
time ; when,  with  a fickleness  said  to  be  a characteristic  of 
this  monarch,  and  sheltering  himself  under  the  plea  that 
the  Queen  Isabella  had  sworn  to  chastise  Ovando  for  hav- 
ing put  to  death  Anacaona,  the  fulfilment  of  which  vow 
she  had  confided  to  Ferdinand  at  her  death,  he  in  1508 
relieved  Ovando  from  his  command,  and  ordered  him  back 
to  Spain. 

Don  Diego  Columbus  succeeded'  him,  but  did  not  enjoy 
the  full  rights  of  his  father,  the  Admiral,  who  had  died  in 


42 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


Spain  in  1506 ; and  it  was  strongly  suspected  that  the  son 
was  more  indebted  to  the  Duke  of  Alva,  whose  daughter 
he  had  married,  and  whose  influence  at  court  was  great, 
for  this  recognition  of  his  rights,  than  to  the  justness  of 
his  claims  as  being  the  heir  of  his  father.  He  was  at 
flrst  only  named  Governor  of  the  island,  not  Viceroy  of  the 
Indies,  according  to  the  patent  given  to  the  Admiral. 

The  new  Governor  came  to  the  island  accompanied  by 
his  uncle,  his  brother,  and  his  wife,  upon  the  latter  of 
whom  in  mere  courtesy  had  been  bestowed  the  title  of 
vice-queen.  With  them  came  a numerous  cortege  of  dis- 
tinguished persons  of  both  sexes ; and  the  splendour  and 
elegance  displayed  during  Don  Diego’s  residence  at  the 
capital  astonished  the  people  of  the  New  World,  while 
the  presence  of  so  much  rank  and  beauty,  it  is  said,  had 
the  effect  of  softening  the  manners  of  the  colonists,  and 
gave  a higher  tone  to  the  state  of  society  at  the  city  of  St 
Domingo,  which  had  then  reached  its  highest  state  of 
prosperity. 

The  unfortunate  natives,  however,  did  not  proflt  by 
these  splendours ; for,  strong  in  his  position,  Diego  awarded 
to  his  friends  and  followers  the  Indians,  not  only  in  the 
manner  hitherto  known  as  repartimientos^  but  by  speci- 
fying the  exact  number  to  be  allowed  each  person  according 
to  his  rank. 

Although  the  Spaniards  were  busy  in  extending  their 
dominions,  Hispaniola  seems  to  have  been  looked  upon 
as  their  principal  colony ; and  though  Diego  Columbus 
appears  to  have  had  the  ability  to  govern  it  with  wisdom, 
he  was  not  permitted  by  the  changeful  Ferdinand  to  exer- 
cise his  authority  without  much  interference  and  many 
annoyances,  the  King  even  curtailing  some  of  his  privileges. 

Among  these  was  that  of  assigning  the  Indians,  which 
privilege  he  accorded  to  a courtier  named  Albuquerque,  who 
was  authorised  to  apportion  out  the  natives  independently 
of  the  Governor ; — the  result  of  which  was,  that,  in  anxious 


REPARTIMIENTOS. 


43 


haste  to  profit  from  the  perquisites  of  the  office  he  held, 
Albuquerque  entered  with  eagerness  into  their  apportion 
ment ; and  the  first  step  he  took  was  to  obtain  the  exact 
number  of  the  natives,  from  which  we  learn  that  these 
unfortunates  had  died  out  so  rapidly,  that,  from  having 
numbered  in  1508,  60,000  souls,  in  1514  the  total  number 
was  reduced  to  14,000. 

To  the  credit  of  the  priesthood  be  it  said,  they  had  almost 
unanimously  declared  against  the  system  of  the  reparti- 
mientos,  and  especially  had  the  Order  of  the  Dominicans 
raised  their  voices  against  it,  availing  themselves  of  every 
occasion  to  speak  out  against  the  iniquitous  practice,  not 
fearing  in  the  presence  of  the  Viceroy  and  his  suite,  when 
present  in  the  grand  cathedral  of  St  Domingo  city,  to  appeal 
to  them  in  eloquent  language  to  remedy  this  state  of  things ; 
and  carrying  out  these  principles,  they  refused  even  to 
absolve  those  who  shared  in  this  division  of  the  natives. 

This  proceeding  gave  great  offence,  of  course,  to  the 
authorities ; and  the  Franciscans,  who  were  not  so  deter- 
mined in  their  opposition,  uniting  with  the,  Government, 
two  parties  were  in  existence,  each  of  whom  made  com- 
plaints to  the  King. 

We  can  read  with  astonishment  and  indignation  now 
the  famous  edict  of  Ferdinand,  in  which  he  declares  it  is  a 
divine  and  humane  duty  to  hold  the  Indians  in  servitude, 
as  thus  they  can  become  Christianised ; but  at  the  time 
this  decree  gave  great  satisfaction,  as  many  even  of  the 
higher  prelates  themselves  held  numbers  of  the  natives  in 
servitude. 

In  spite  of  this,  the  celebrated  Father  Las  Casas  used 
every  effort  to  bring  about  the  relief  of  these  people  ; and 
going  over  to  Spain,  he  reproached  King  Ferdinand  in 
person,  with  such  effect,  that  the  King,  being  then  near 
to  death,  listened  to  his  appeals,  and  promised  to  remedy 
the  state  of  the  Indians,  but  he  died  before  he  could  fulfil 
his  promises. 


44 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


It  has  been  said,  at  various  times,  that  Las  Casas  was 
the  author  of  the  introduction  of  African  slaves  into  the 
island,  hut  this  is  not  corroborated  by  facts ; for  as  early 
as  1511,  we  find  that  negroes  had  been  brought  there, 
and  previous  to  this  Ferdinand  had  issued  orders  for  their 
introduction. 

However,  Zimenes,  Cardinal  and  Regent  of  Castile,  in 
the  minority  of  the  new  Emperor  Charles  the  Fifth,  listened 
to  Las  Casas ; and  in  order  to  make  a beginning  in  the 
new  programme  he  had  arranged,  he  sent  out  to  St  Do- 
mingo three  superintendents  of  all  the  colonies,  utterly 
ignoring  the  rights  of  the  then  Grovernor,  Don  Diego. 
These  superintendents  he  selected  from  the  order  of  Hier- 
onymite  monks,  hoping  thus  to  get  impartial  and  upright 
men.  Through  them  he  changed  entirely  the  system  of  the 
colonies,  as,  on  their  arrival,  they  declared  free  all  the 
Indians,  a proceeding  that  occasioned  general  alarm,  fol- 
lowed by  appeals  to  the  new  authorities,  who,  on  the  re- 
presentation that  the  new  conquests  of  Spain  in  America 
would  have  to  be  abandoned  if  these  Indian  labourers 
were  taken  away,  found  it  necessary  to  tolerate  the  system 
of  repartimientos.^  but  endeavoured  to  arrange  for  a more 
genial  execution  of  its  workings. 

From  the  troubles  ocasioned  by  these  proceedings  origi- 
nated the  introduction  permanently  of  the  African;  for 
even  Las  Casas  used  his  infiuence  to  have  them  brought 
into  the  island  in  larger  numbers,  in  order  to  lighten  the 
labours  of  the  Indians. 

This  body  of  priestly  governors,  although  endeavouring 
to  act  with  justice  and  impartiality,  did  not  give  entire 
satisfaction  to  the  colonists ; and  Cardinal  Cisneros  de 
Zimenes  dying  in  1518,  the  Emperor  Charles  the  Fifth 
ascended  the  throne,  and  immediately  recalled  these 
reverend  friars,  naming  a licentiate,  Rodrigo  de  Figueroa, 
as  Governor,  who,  manifesting  great  avarice  and  rapacity. 


AFRICAN  SLAVES.  ' 


45 


was  carried  to  Spain  in  1521  a prisoner,  and  Don  Diego 
Columbus  was  again  made  Governor, 
t — Reference  has  already  been  made  to  African  slaves,  and 
1 it  appears  that  the  Indians  died  out  so  fast,  that  it  became 
absolutely  necessary  to  have  some  reliable  mode  of  getting 
labourers  to  work  not  only  the  mines,  but  the  land,  now 
become  valuable  by  the  culture  of  the  sugar-cane ; and 
thus,  in  1510,  a regular  form  had  been  given  to  this  traffic 
in  human  flesh,  by  the  charging  of  the  Casa  de  Contracion 
with  its  carrying  on  ; and  in. addition  to  this,  when  Charles 
the  Fifth  became  Emperor,  he,  by  a patent  bestowed  upon 
a Flemish  favourite,  gave  an  exclusive  right  of  importing 
slaves  to  the  number  of  four  thousand  annually.  This 
patent  was  sold  by  the  Fleming  to  some  Genoese  for 
twenty-flve  thousand  ducats,  and  they  were  thus  the  first 
I merchants  who  brought  into  regular  form  the  commerce 
^r  slaves  between  Africa  and  America. 

So  rapidly  had  these 
slaves  increased  in  num- 
ber on  the  island  of  St 
Domingo,  that  we  find, 
in  the  records  of  the 
second  term  of  the  gov- 
ernorship of  Diego  Co- 
lumbus, that  in  1522 
theyhad  strength  enough 
to  mutiny  on  the  plan- 
tation of  the  Governor 
himself,  moved  thereto 
by  the  cruelty  with  which 
they  were  treated. 

Some  idea  may  be  gained  of  the  cruelties  experienced  by 
these  poor  creatures  in  the  descriptions  of  many  of  the 
old  authorities,  and  of  which  De  Bry  has  made  an  illus- 
tration. One  of  these  accounts  is  curious,  as  showing  that 
the  modern  theory  of  earth  cure  ” in  wounds  is  not  new. 


46 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


since  it  is  stated  that  the  slaves  were  so  badly  whipped 
that  their  hacks  became  raw,  and  upon  their  raw  wounds 
brine  was  poured  ; a hole  was  then  dug  in  the  ground,  the 
suffering  negro  placed  therein,  and  the  earth  piled  up 
around  him,  in  order,  says  the  chronicler,  that  his  wounds 
might  be  healed  by  the  salve  in  mother  earth,  and  he  ren- 
dered fit  to  do  more  labour. 

The  insurrection,  the  first  of  which  there  is  any  record, 
was,  however,  soon  put  down  by  the  troops  ; and  hardly  was 
‘ this  accomplished,  when  another,  much  more  important, 
broke  out  among  the  few  remaining  Indians  in  the  island. 

This  had  been  incited  by  a chief  named  Enrique,  a savage 
who  had  been  converted  to  Christianity,  and  who,  notwith- 
standing the  nobility  of  his  birth,  had  been  reduced  to 
slavery  in  one  of  the  repartimientos. 

Desiring  to  avenge  an  insult  that  had  been  offered  to  his 
wife  by  a Spaniard,  Enrique  called  upon  his  compatriots, 
and  uniting  themselves  in  strong  force,  they  took  refuge 
in  the  mountains  of  Bajorucho,  where  they  maintained 
themselves  unconquered. 

Meanwhile  many  complaints  had  been  made  against  the 
G-overnor,  Diego  Columbus;  among  these  was  one  that, 
because  he  w^s  building  a substantial  palatial  house  on  the 
bank  of  the  river,  he  designed  it  to  be  a fortress,  and, 
when  finished,  he  intended  to  declare  himself  sovereign  of 
the  island,  and  independent  of  the  authority  of  Spain. 

This  house  still  stands,  and  though  in  a sad  state  of 
decay,  gives  a good  impression  of  the  solidity  and  grandeur 
of  such  buildings  in  the  St  Domingo  of  those  days.  The 
accompanying  illustration  of  it  is  after  Guillermin,  who  saw 
it  about  1801,  when  it  was  in  a more  perfect  state  than 
at  present.  On  account  of  the  above  complaints,  Diego 
Columbus  returned  to  Spain,  and  though  he  completely 
disproved  the  charges  brought  against  him,  he  was  not  re- 
instated in  his  command,  but  died  in  1526  while  petitioning 
for  his  rights.  His  office  meanwhile  had  been  given  to  the 


FIGUEROA 


47 


Father  Luis  de  Figueroa,  who  devoted  himself  especially 
to  the  pacification  of  the  Indians,  who,  under  the  chief 


House  of  Don  Diego  Columbus. 


Enrique,  had  now  become  formidable  from  their  military 
organisation.  The  Emperor,  hoping  probably  to  replace 
their  labour,  now  lost,  authorised  the  Flemings  in  1526  to 
introduce  African  slaves  more  freely  into  the  island. 

By  the  death  of  Figueroa  the  island  came  under  the 
rule  of  one  of  its  best  Governors,  Don  Sebastian  Ramirez 
Fuenleal,  who  immediately  took  wise  and  sensible  measures 
for  securing  the  settlement  of  the  affairs  of  the  island,  and 
improving  the  condition  of  the  loyal  Indians. 

6 


48 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


Altliongli  many  overtures  were  made  to  the  insurrec- 
tionary chief,  yet  such  was  his  want  of  confidence  in  the 
Spaniards,  that  it  was  not  until  Father  Las  Casas  suc- 
ceeded in  inducing  Enrique  to  send  an  envoy  to  St  Do- 
mingo city,  that  a treaty  of  peace  was  signed,  in  1533,  by 
which  the  Indians,  600  in  number,  under  their  chief,  were 
permanently  established  in  a village  (Boya)  by  themselves, 
and  land  allowed  them  to  cultivate  for  their  own  use. 
With  this  treaty  ended  actually  the  troubles  with  the  abo- 
rigines, which  in  Dominican  annals  are  known  as  belong- 
ing to  the  time  of  the  conquest.  Of  this  race,  not  one 
single  pure-blooded  descendant  exists  to-day. 


CHAPTER  IV. 


“Let  nobler  bards,  in  loftier  numbers,  tell 
How  Cortez  conquered,  Montezuma  fell ; 
How  grim  Pizarro’s  ruffian  arm  o’erthrew 
The  sun’s  resplendent  empire  in  Peru.” 


The  Decline  of  St  Domingo — Failure  of  the  Mines — Expeditmis 
fitted  out — Depredatio7is  on  Spanish  Vessels — Depopulation  of 
the  Island — Neglect  of  Spain — Its  Colonial  Policy — Drake's 
Attack — The  Capture  and  Ransom  of  the  Capital. 

rpHERE  now  ensues  a long  period  in  the  history  of  St 
Domingo,  in  which  the  island,  having  gained  a posi- 
tion brilliant  and  striking  from  its  sudden  rise  and  pro- 
sperity, as  quickly  sinks  into  obscurity,  desolation,  and 
misery,  the  result  of  manifold  causes. 

St  Domingo  city,  the  capital,  had  become  firmly  estab- 
lished ; it  had  been  beautified  and  improved ; in  fact,  had 
become  noted  for  the  splendour  of  its  houses  and  the  regu- 
larity of  its  streets,  while  its  port  was  the  most  busy  one 
in  the  New  World. 

In  addition  to  this  principal  city,  there  had  been  estab- 
lished in  different  parts  of  the  island  other  towns  and  vil- 
lages, the  most  important  of  which  were  Azua,  Aquin 
(Yaquimo),  Salvatierra  de  la  Savana,  Yaguana  (Leogane), 
Puerto  Plata,  Puerto  Real,  Monte  Cristo,  Santiago  de  los 
Caballeros,  Bonao,  Cotuy,  Buenaventura,  Concepcion  de  la 
Vega,  BaSica,  Hincha,  Higuei,  and  Seybo,  to  all  of  which, 
so  important  were  they  considered,  had  been  allowed  the 
use  of  respective  coats  of  arms. 


50 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


The  number  of  regularly  organised  sugar  plantations 
had  amounted  to  nearly  fifty,  and  the  products  of  these,  it 

is  related,  more  than  ex- 
ceeded the  products  of  the 
gold  mines  in  their  best 
days ; in  fact,  so  luxu- 
riant and  profitable  was 
the  cane-crop,  that  it  was 
a common  remark  of  the 
time  that  some  of  the 
handsomest  palaces  in 
Spain  were  built  of  St 
Domingo  sugar. 

The  increase  of  the  live- 
stock originally  brought 
out  from  Spain  had  been  so 
wonderful,  that  the  island 
was  literally  overrun  with  the  wild  cattle,  which  were  left 
undisturbed,  except  by  occasional  visits  of  the  hateros  or 
herdsmen,  men  who,  even  at  the  present  day,  devote  them- 
selves exclusively  to  the  raising  of  cattle  upon  the  immense 
plains  called  ^Mlanos”  or  savanas. 

There  was  then  no  reason  why  affairs  should  not  have 
vastly  improved,  and  thefisland  itself  reached  a high  state 
of  prosperity,  had  it  not  been  from  a combination  of  re- 
tarding causes. 


Hatero. 


In  the  period  after  the  conquest  known  in  its  annals 
as  the  time  of  Old  Spain,”  the  island  may  be  said  to  have 
reached  the  very  zenith  of  its  prosperity,  followed  gradually 
by  a series  of  events  which  left  it  almost  depopulated,  pros- 
trated, and  even  unrecognised  by  its  parent  country ; a 
period  in  which  we  see,  in  strong  contrast  to  the  Spaniards, 
the  French,  who  had  gained  possessions  in  the  West  Indies, 
show  by  their  energy  and  talent,  as  well  as  by  an  encourag- 
ing policy  of  the  home  Government,  what  could  be  made  of 
ythose  beautiful  isles  generally  called  the  Antilles. 


SPANISH  POLICY. 


51 


In  order  fully  to  understand  the  condition  of  St  Domingo 
while  exclusively  under  Spanish  rule,  it  may  be  as  well  that 
we  take  a glance  at  the  policy  of  Spain  in  relation  to  her 
colonies ; for  what  applied  to  one  as  a general  rule  applied 
to  all. , And  as  she  was  the  first  to  enter  the  arena  of 
the  New  World,  so  was  the  system  she  adopted  considered 
the  best  by  the  other  powers  which  followed  her,  and, 
with  some  modifications,  pretty  generally  adopted  by 
them. 

The  Spanish  Indies,  the  name  given  by  Spain  to  its 
colonies  in  America,  having  been  by  law  declared  an 
inalienable  part  of  the  Spanish  monarchy,  the  King  became 
the  sovereign  of  those  newly  discovered  countries,  and 
exercised  all  the  authority  belonging  to  that  title,  enjoy- 
ing to  every  extent  all  the  rights,  powers,  and  patronage 
that  title  gave,  and  his  will  became  thus  the  law  of  the 
colony,  against  the  exercise  of  which  there  was  no  check 
or  hindrance. 

In  the  exercise  of  this  power,  the  first  agent  of 
the  King  was  the  Royal  and  Supreme  Council  of  the 
Indies,”  a name  given  to  a tribunal  created  by  King  Fer- 
dinand in  1511  for  the  control  of  the  American  depart- 
ment. 

The  powers  of  this  tribunal  were  much  enlarged  by  the 
Emperor  Charles  the  Fifth,  in  1524,  and  his  successors; 
so  that  it  became  the  depositary  of  all  law,  the  fountain 
of  all  nominations,  both  ecclesiastical  and  temporal,  and 
the  supreme  tribunal  where  all  questions,  whether  of 
government  or  trade,  in  the  colonies,  were  finally  ad- 
judicated. 

This  council,  as  ancient  as  the  New  World  itself  almost, 
had  always  the  same  limited  views,  and  so  far  from  being 
moved  by  great  impulses  and  large  ideas  fitting  to  the 
immense  powers  bestowed  upon  it,  was,  on  the  contrary, 
a great  drawback  to  the  forward  impulses  of  the  youth- 
ful colonies,  which,  like  young  children,  required  the 


52 


SAJ\tto  DOMINGO. 


most  careful  nursing  and  attention  from  their  mother 
country. 

In  the  earliest  period,  this  council  had  been  organised  to 
benefit  the  colony  of  St  Domingo,  by  devising  means  to 
advance  its  interests,  to  send  out  supplies  of  provisions,  and 
to  furnish  seeds  and  implements  for  the  agricultural  de- 
velopment of  the  island. 

This  council  prepared  all  the  laws  for  the  Indies ; it 
took  cognisance  exclusively  of  all  matters  by  laud  and  sea, 
and  of  every  kind  that  in  any  wise  related  to  the  Indies, 
having  full  authority  over  viceroys,  presidents,  courts,  com- 
merce, and  even  of  the  army  and  navy. 

It  proposed  to  the  King  all  persons  for  office,  of  what- 
ever grade ; it  presented  also  the  officials  of  the  Church ; 
and,  in  fact,  was  endowed  with  such  supreme  powers,  as, 
says  Yalverde,  not  even  the  Roman  Senate  had  so  ex- 
clusive a jurisdiction.” 

In  the  early  days  of  Spanish  discovery  and  conquest, 
St  Domingo  was  the  headquarters  of  the  Royal  Audencia,” 
or  court  established  for  all  the  new  provinces ; but  as  the 
latter  grew  in  extent  and  number,  they  also  began  to  have 
courts  of  their  own. 

For  hundreds  of  years  the  chief  commands  of  the 
island  were  bestowed  on  military  officers,  the  Governor 
being  known  as  Captain- General,  and  who  in  subsequent 
years,  became  the  President  of  the  Royal  Audencia. 

The  power  of  the  Governor  was  almost  supreme,  and 
with  him  rested  the  appointment  of  the  subaltern  officers, 
such  as  the  commandants. 

The  royal  court  was  surrounded  by  a great  number 
of  formalities,  laws,  and  ceremonies ; and  at  one  time, 
it  would  appear  that  St  Domingo  city  was  noted  for  the 
pomp  and  display  made  by  the  officials  in  the  fulfilment 
of  their  duties,  which  duties  were  distinctly  prescribed  in 
a code  made  in  Spain,  known  as  “ The  Collection  of  the 
Laws  of  the  Kinerdoms  of  the  Indies.” 

O 


TA  XA  TION. 


53 


The  establishment  of  the  royal  court  was  the  cause,  in 
later  years,  of  much  trouble,  for  to  it  were  carried  all 
appeals  from  the  decision  of  the  Governor  of  the  island, 
and  there  were  frequent  conflicts  of  authority  therefrom. 

An  endless  cause  of  bickering  and  complaint  in  the 
island  was  the  constant  interference  in  secular  afiairs  of 
the  priesthood,  whose  strength  and  numbers  constantly 
increased ; and,  under  Cardinal  Zimenes,  we  have  seen  the 
government  intrusted  to  three  of  their  number. 

As  the  King  paid  all  the  expenses  of  divine  worship, 
the  tithes  belonged  to  him  in  consequence  of  a concession 
of  the  Pope.  There  was  collected  on  all  vegetable  products 
of  importance  in  commerce  one  measure  in  ten ; on  all 
annual  products,  even  on  milk,  lard,  wool,  and  on  minor 
products,  such  as  wax,  honey,  &c.,  the  King  took  his 
share  of  one-tenth.  A percentage  there  was  also  on  sugar 
and  molasses,  even  the  native  bread,  cassava,  paying 
duty. 

The  conquerors  of  the  New  World,  in  their  desire  of 
making  themselves*  masters  of  large  domains,  seized  upon 
immense  tracts  of  land,  and  held  them  under  what  was 
known  as  encomiendas^'^  and  by  degrees  they  obtained 
the  privilege  of  converting  these  into  mayorasgos^''  a 
species  of  flef  introduced  into  the  Spanish  system  of  feudal 
jurisprudence,  which  can  neither  be  divested  nor  alienated, 
resulting,  as  we  shall  see,  to-day,  in  the  system  known  as 
“ communerosy 

The  Church  followed  the  example  set  by  these  adven- 
turers, and  became  the  possessors  of  large  tracts ; and, 
as  their  revenue  was  only  to  be  derived  by  the  cultiva- 
tion of  these  lands,  they  were  leased  out  in  small  lots  to 
those  unable  to  buy  or  to  occupy  pieces  of  their  own ; 
and  in  all  the  jurisdictions  of  the  Church  “ first-fruits  ” 
were  exacted  and  paid. 

The  Church  had  yet  another  influence  in  the  island, 
for  the  Inquisition  has  played  here,  as  elsewhere,  a memor- 


54 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


able  part  in  tbe  history  of  St  Domingo ; for,  as  early  as 
1517  inquisitors  were  sent  to  tbe  island,  tbeir  advent 
being  marked  with  great  pomp  and  ceremony  on  the 
part  of  the  officials  and  people ; and  when  we  read  that 
the  inquisitors  were  paid  from  the  confiscations  made  by 
themselves,  we  can  readily  understand  the  motives  that 
prompted  their  action  in  many  cases.  And  it  is  on  record 
that  there  was  only  one  printing-office,  little  used,  on  the 
entire  island ; and  no  books  of  any  kind  were  allowed 
to  be  brought  in  that  had  not  received  the  sanction  of 
the  Inquisition,  a proceeding  that  is  seen  in  its  results 
to-day,  not  a single  book  of  any  value  being  found  for 
sale. 

. The  Inquisition,  as  is  well  known,  was  always  opposed 
to  the  instruction  and  enlightenment  of  the  people ; and 
in  no  place  was  this  more  forcibly  manifested  than  in  St 
Domingo  ; and  the  antipathy  of  inquisitors  against  books 
was  only  equalled  by  that  against  Jews,  the  results  of 
which  are  seen  to-day  in  the  islands  still  under  the  Spanish 
crown  ; for,  though  the  Jews  may  be  found  in  almost  every 
habitable  part  of  the  globe,  not  one  hardly  is  to  be  met 
with  in  Cuba,  Porto  Pico,  or  St  Domingo. 

In  fact,  the  entry  of  every  class  of  foreigners  into  the 
island  was  discountenanced  by  the  Government,  which, 
with  the  jealousy  peculiar  to  Spain,  looked  with  sus- 
picion upon  the  attempts  on  the  part  of  subjects  of  any 
other  power  to  trade  with  its  colonies. 

Many  other  of  the  Church  rules  and  regulations  weighed 
heavily  upon  the  settlers  ; and  some  writers  are  ill-natured 
enough  to  doubt  the  possibility  of  the  Church,  in  these 
times,  honestly  getting  rich,  when  its  servants  were  so 
poor.  The  Jesuits,  it  is  said,  managed  to  carry  large 
sums  of  gold  out  of  the  country  in  various  ways  without 
exciting  suspicion,  such  as  sending  it  as  rolls  of  chocolate, 
and  bones  of  saints. 

In  addition  to  the  sources  of  revenue  above  mentioned, 


CASA  BE  CONTRACION. 


55 


there  was  a tax  upon  the  salaries  of  the  officials,  consisting 
of  a levy  of  half  the  product  of  the  first  year,  which  is 
suggestive  of  the  honesty  with  which  these  offices  must 
have  been  filled ; while  many  of  the  minor  positions  were 
publicly  farmed  out  to  the  highest  bidder. 

There  were  municipal  governments  for  the  difierent 
districts,  towns,  or  villages,  presided  over  by  an  aider- 
man  or  alcalde,  and  he  named  subordinate  officers;  and 
there  were  besides  innumerable  fiscal  officers,  which  it 
would  be  tedious  to  mention. 

It  is,  however,  from  the  monopoly  created  by  the 
organisation  of  the  Casa  de  Contracion  that  the  colonial 
interests  of  Spain  have,  perhaps,  received  their  greatest 
injury;  for,  by  an  ordinance  dated  at  Alcala,  January 
20,  1503,  a board  of  trade,  with  the  above  name,  was  con- 
stituted, which,  though  supposed  to  be  subordinate  to  the 
Council  of  the  Indies,  became  in  time  almost  independent 
of  it.  The  laws  and  regulations  made  by  this  body,  al- 
though nominally  created  to  encourage  and  protect  the 
commerce  of  Spain  with  her  colonies,  were  ultimately  the 
cause  of  its  decay  and  ruin. 

It  consisted  of  three  officers,  bearing  the  separate  titles 
of  treasurer,  factor,  and  comptroller,  their  residence  being 
appointed  at  Seville,  where  they  were  to  hold  daily  meetings 
in  the  building  known  as  the  Aleazar,  for  the  transaction 
of  business. 

This  board  was  instructed  to  make  itself  thoroughly 
familiar  with  everything  pertaining  to  the  colonies,  and  to 
furnish  the  Government  with  every  kind  of  information 
concerning  their  prosperity  and  welfare. 

Laws  were  passed  restricting  the  entire  trade  of  the 
colonies  with  the  mother  country  to  the  port  of  Seville: 
and  to  the  Casa  de  Contracion  was  intrusted  the  super- 
vision of  all  fleets,  their  destination,  the  furnishing  them 
with  instructions ; and,  in  the  warehouse  of  the  board, 
at  that  place,  was  deposited  all  the  merchandise  for  ship- 


56 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


ment,  as  well  as  tlie  return  cargoes,  for  the  sale  of  which 
the  contracts  were  to  be  supervised  by  the  board. 

Seville,  therefore,  remained  the  only  port  for  a long 
time,  until  the  Guadalquiver,  which,  in  the  time  of  the 
Emperor  Charles  the  Fifth,  was  navigable  up  to  the  town, 
became,  for  large  vessels,  inaccessible,  when  the  port  was 
removed  to  Cadiz,  from  whence,  at  stated  times,  a fleet 
sailed  for  Mexico,  and  galleons  for  Porto  Bello.  This 
continued  in  practice  until  the  war  of  1732,  when  register 
ships  were  substituted  for  galleons,  which  no  longer  sailed 
at  fixed  times,  though  the  fleet  ” and  these  register  ” 
ships  continued  to  sail  from  Cadiz  to  Mexico. 

Porto  Bello  was  the  main  rendezvous  for  this  fleet  from 
Spain,  known  in  early  times  as  the  galleons,”  which 
consisted  usually  of  about  eight  men-of-war,  of  the  size 
known  as  three  or  four  deckers,  each  mounting  flfty' guns, 
and  they  were  nominally  assigned  to  supply  the  American 
ports  with  military  stores ; but,  in  reality,  were  laden  not 
only  with  these,  but  every  kind  of  merchandise,  and  they 
also  convoyed  other  ships  on  private  account,  to  the  num- 
ber of  fourteen  or  fifteen. 

In  time  of  peace,  this  fleet  sailed  regularly  once  a 
year  from  Cadiz,  according  as  the  King  ordered  it,  or 
the  convenience  of  the  merchants  permitted;  the  fleet  of 
galleons  being  regulated  pretty  much  as  was  the  flota  ” 
or  fl^et,  and  designed  for  the  exclusive  trade  with  Terra 
Firma,  as  South  America  was  then  called,  and  the  South 
Sea. 

The  flota,”  on  the  contrary,  was  destined  for  New 
Spain,  as  Mexico  was  then  called,  the  port  being  Yera 
Cruz,  as  also  the  Philippine  Islands.  It  consisted  of  an 
annual  fleet,  that  sailed  from  Cadiz,  leaving  there  about 
the  last  of  September,  being  composed  of  three  men-of- 
war,  and  sixteen  large  merchantmen,  of  from  500  to  600 
tons  burden. 

These  were  loaded  with  every  sort  of  goods  which 


COMMERCIAL  RESTRICTIONS. 


57 


Europe  could  produce  for  export,  and  thus  every  part  of 
Europe  was  interested  in  this  fleet,  as  their  manufactures 
were  thus  distributed  in  the  New  World.  Spain  itself 
sent  out  little  more  than  wine  and  fruit ; this,  with  the 
freight  and  the  commission  to  the  merchants,  and  the 
duty  to  the  King,  was  almost  the  only  advantage  that 
the  mother  country  derived  from  the  commerce  with  the 
Indies. 

This  is  easily  accounted  for,  from  the  fact  that  Spain  had, 
at  this  time,  few  or  no  manufactures,  and  as  she  had  no 
goods  of  her  own  to  send  to  the  colonies,  she  passed  such 
laws  and  restrictions  as  made  the  whole  of  Europe  one 
vast  storehouse  for  her,  to  which  she  acted  as  broker, 
charging  commission  nominally  both  ways,  to  the  con- 
sumer and  the  manufacturer;  hut,  in  truth,  it  was  the 
overtaxed  consumer,  the  colonist,  who  paid  the  commis- 
sion; and  as  the  colonist  began  to  realise  this  fact,  so 
gradually  did  Spain  find  her  colonies  seeking  to  render 
themselves  independent  of  her. 

In  the  early  days  of  the  New  World  colonies,  all  these 
fleets  made  the  harbour  of  St  Domingo  city  their  haven, 
in  passing  to  and  from  Spain,  as  at  that  time  this  was 
the  only  strongly  and  regularly  fortified  place  belonging 
to  that  power  in  the  New  World. 

With  the  conquest  of  Cuba,  Jamaica,  Peru,  and  Mexico, 
this  arrangement  was  changed,  and  the  fleets,  on  their 
return,  almost  entirely  stopped  at  the  city  of  Havana, 
loaded  with  everything  the  colonies  produced;  and  here 
congregated  the  galleons,  the  flota,  and  the  register  ships, 
preparatory  to  their  return  to  Spain. 

The  register  ships  originated  from  the  illicit  commerce 
that  sprang  up  by  Spain’s  prohibiting  all  intercourse  with 
strangers ; they  were  registered,  with  all  the  effects  em- 
barked in  them,  in  the  books  of  the  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce at  Seville. 

It  was  this  sort  of  commerce  that  induced  the  English 


58 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


and  the  Dutch  to  step  in  without  waiting  for  a license ; 
and,  with  the  connivance  of  the  Grovernors  of  the  different 
colonies,  they  all  made  money. 

This  practice  became  finally  so  flagrant  and  glaring, 
that  the  home  authorities  sent  new  Governors  with  precise 
orders ; and  with  these  came  the  guardia  costas,”  or 
guardships,  which,  from  being  established  at  first  for  a 
just  and  legal  purpose,  finally  made  trouble  by  becoming 
privateers,  and  preying  upon  the  commerce  of  all  nations, 
ending  in  open  war  between  the  powers. 

With  all  these  plans  to  control  the  trade  of  the  colonies, 
it  would  be  supposed  that  every  effort  would  have  been 
made  to  encourage  emigration  and  increase  the  value  of  the 
colonial  lands ; but  so  far  from  this  being  the  case,  cer- 
tainly, as  regards  St  Domingo,  a few  years  after  its  dis- 
covery and  settlement,  restrictions  were  made,  and  per- 
mission had  first  to  be  asked  of  the  Board  of  Trade  before 
emigrants  could  go  out  there.  Almost  every  article  going 
into  or  coming  out  of  the  island  paid  a duty,  hindrance 
even  being  made  to  domestic  trade  ; for  the  principal  one 
of  cattle-selling,  in  the  time  of  the  French,  had  to  pay  its 
share  of  taxes  and  fees  to  officials,  who  occupied  their  posi- 
tions, not  to  further  the  interests  of  the  island,  but  to  look 
out  for  their  own  profit. 

It  is  very  certain  that  all  these  restrictions  on  emigra- 
tion and  commerce  had  a great  deal  to  do  with  the  decline 
in  the  prosperity  of  St  Domingo  ; for  all  these  laws  being 
enacted  at  a time  when  new  countries  were  being  opened 
up,  adventurers  thought  it  more  easy  to  seek  rapid  fortunes 
in  the  conquest  of  those  places,  than  to  await  them  by  the 
slow  and  restricted  processes  of  agriculture  and  trade  in 
St  Domingo. 

In  - the  early  period  of  its  history,  the  population  had 
been  increased  by  the  crowds  of  Spaniards  who,  in- 
satiable for  gold,  crowded  here  from  the  mother  country 
when  expeditions  were  fitted  out  for  the  conquest  of 


EMIGRATION  PROHIBITED. 


59 


Cuba,  Porto  Pico,  Trinidad,  and  St  Marguerite.  Yet 
the  very  influence  that  brought  such  hosts  of  these  ad- 
venturers to  this  island  was  the  one  that  assisted  more 
effectually  than  any  other  in  depopulating  it ; for  the 
discovery  of  the  gold  mines  of  Mexico  and  Peru,  the 
glowing  accounts  of  which  had  come  flrst  to  St  Do- 
mingo, tempted  the  largest  part  of  its  inhabitants,  par- 
ticularly the  young  and  adventurous,  to  seek  in  those 
regions  for  adventures,  glory,  and  riches,  the  fabulous 
accounts  of  which  had  flred  the  hearts  of  a people  who 
seem  to  have  had  as  second  nature  that  love  of  adventure 
which  has  tended  so  much  to  gild  with  glory  the  crown  of 
Spain. 

Most  of  the  noted  expeditions  of  the  time  being  fltted 
out  from  the  port  of  St  Domingo,  it  was  not  long  before 
the  island  threatened  to  become  entirely  depopulated,  such 
were  the  numbers  who  sought  a part  in  these  expeditions  ; 
and  so  alarming  did  this  emigration  become,  that  the 
Emperor  Charles  the  Fifth  issued  orders  against  the  emi- 
grating of  families  as  well  as  the  recruiting  of  men  on  the 
island.  Means  were  found  by  those  who  wished  to  evade 
these  commands  ; and  it  is  stated  that  some  of  the  richest 
families  found  it  to  their  interest  to  seek,  with  their  means 
and  capital,  larger  flelds  of  enterprise  in  the  new  countries 
now  opened. 

Up  to  1540,  the  period  when  this  decline  began  in  the 
affairs  of  St  Domingo,  it  seems  like  romance  to  read  the 
accounts  of  the  comings  and  the  goings  of  the  immense 
fleets  of  vessels  which  were  constantly  arriving  and  de- 
parting to  and  from  the  mother  country  and  the  settle- 
ments in  America,  with  their  products. 

Some  of  the  mines,  when  at  first  worked,  had  pro- 
duced so  much  silver,  that  a mint  had  been  established 
at  the  capital,  where  money  was  struck  ofl*  the  same  as 
in  Spain  ; and  in  the  products  of  the  soil,  then  mostly 
new  to  the  Old  World,  such  as  cotton,  sugar,  tobacco, 


60 


SAXTO  DOMINGO. 


ginger,  &c.,  additional  sources  of  riches  were  found;  add 
to  which  the  large  number  of  hides  produced  by  the  im- 
mense herds  of  cattle  then  scattered  over  the  island,  had 
produced  a commerce  at  tliat  time  which  at  no  period  since 
has  reached  the  same  extent. 

The  traveller  to-day,  who  traverses  the  streets  of  the 
present  city  of  St  Domingo,  deserted  and  decayed  as  they 
are,  as  he  looks  at  the  immense  structures,  the  solid  walls, 
and  the  ruins  of  former  greatness,  finds  himself  wondering 
what  has  become  of  those  incentives  to  enterprise  which 
were  the  origin  of  the  foundation  of  such  a city.  From 
this  period  to  the  time  when  Drake  landed,  there  seems 
to  be  little  of  general  importance  occurring  in  the  island, 
other  than  a series  of  misfortunes ; for  the  labour  of  the 


An  old  street  in  St  Domingo  city. 


mines  was  reduced  to  almost  nothing,  while  the  agri- 
culture was  followed  in  detached  portions  only;  for  the  - 
colonists,  seduced  away  by  the  reports  of  famous  riches 
on  the  continent  of  America,  still  continued  to  emigrate. 


DRAKE^S  EXPEDITION. 


61 


In  1568  the  limited  amount  of  products  raised  consisted 
of  cotton,  sugar,  and  tobacco,  the  results  of  the  labours 
of  a few  Indians  still  surviving,  as  also  a few  Africans, 
while  the  commerce  was  limited  to  a few  sticks  of  Brazil 
wood ; when  a trade  sprang  up  with  the  Dutch,  which  in 
time  would  doubtless  have  helped  the  colony  much,  but 
just  at  this  juncture  the  English  appeared  on  the  coast,  to 
give  a new  turn  to  affairs  for  a time. 

* Queen  Elizabeth  of  England,  being  determined  to  de- 
stroy the  preponderance  of  Spanish  power  in  the  West 
Indies,  sent  out,  in  1586,  an  expedition  under  Sir  Francis 


Drake 


Drake,  to  do  all  the  harm  he  could,  as  well  to  the  com- 
merce, as  to  the  possessions  of  Spain  in  that  part  of  the 
world.  Acting  under  these  instructions,  Drake  landed  on 


62 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


the  shores  of  St  Domingo,  and  succeeded  in  getting 
possession  of  the  town.  The  subjoined  account,  being 
that  of  an  eye-witness,  affords  us  some  quaint  infor- 
mation as  to  the  condition  of  this  famous  city  and  the 
mode  of  warfare  at  that  time.  I give  it  in  the  original 
text. 

By  the  way  we  met  a small  frigate  bound  for  the 
same  place ; in  her  was  found  one  by  whom  we  were  adver- 
tised the  haven  to  be  a barred  haven,  and  the  shore  or 
land  thereof  to  be  well  fortified,  having  a castle  thereupon, 
furnished  with  great  store  of  artillery ; without  the  danger 
whereof  was  no  convenient  landing-place  within  ten  Eng- 
lish miles  of  the  city,  to  which  the  said  pilot  took  upon 
himself  to  conduct  us.  . . . 

“ Our  general  having  seen  us  all  landed  in  safety,  re- 
turned to  his  fleet,  bequeathing  us  to  Grod  and  the  good 
conduct  of  Mr  Carliell,  our  Lieut. -General,  at  which  time, 
being  about  eight  of  the  clock,  we  began  to  march,  and  about 
noon-time,  or  towards  one  of  the  clock,  we  approached 
the  town,  where  the  gentlemen  and  those  of  the  better 
sort,  being  some  hundred  and  fifty  brave  heroes,  or  rather 
more,  began  to  present  themselves ; but  our  small  shot 
played  upon  them,  which  were  so  sustained  by  good  pro- 
portion of  pikes  in  all  parts ; as  they,  finding  no  part  of 
our  troop  unprepared  to  receive  them  (for  you  must  under- 
stand they  viewed  all  round  about),  they  were  thus  driven 
to  give  us  leave  to  proceed  towards  the  two  gates  of  the 
town,  which  were  the  next  to  the  seaward. 

“ They  had  manned  them  both,  and  planted  their  ord- 
nance for  that  present  and  sudden  alarm  without  the  gate, 
and  also  some  troops  of  small  shot  in  ambuscade  upon  the 
by  wayside. 

We  divided  our  force,  being  some  thousand  or  twelve 
hundred  men,  into  two  parts  to  enterprise  both  the  gates 
at  one  instant;  the  Lieut. -General  having  openly  avowed 
to  Captain  Powell  (who  led  the  troops  that  entered  the 


OLD  SANTO  UOMINOO  CITY 


DRAKE'S  EXPEDITIOX. 


63 


other  gate),  that,  with  God’s  good  favour,  he  would  not 
rest  until  our  meeting  in  the  market-place. 

“ Their  ordnance  had  no  sooner  discharged  upon  our 
near  approach,  and  made  some  execution  amongst  us, 
though  not  much,  but  the  Lieut. -General  began  forthwith 
to  advance  both  his  voice  of  encouragement  and  pace  of 
marching ; the  first  man  that  was  slain  with  the  ordnance 
being  very  near  unto  himself,  and  thereupon  hasted  all  that 
he  might  to  keep  them  from  recharging  the  ordnance. 

And  notwithstanding  their  ambuscadoes,  we  marched, 
or  rather  ran,  so  roundly  into  them,  as  pell-mell  we  entered 
the  gates,  and  gave  them  more  care,  every  man  to  save 
himself  by  flight,  than  reason  to  stand  any  longer  to  their 
broken  fight.  W e forthwith  repaired  to  the  market-place, 
but,  to  be  more  truly  understood,  a place  of  ver}^  fair, 
spacious,  square  ground  before  the  great  church ; whither 
also  came,  as  had  been  agreed.  Captain  Powell  with  the 
other  troop ; which  place,  with  some  part  next  unto  it,  we 
strengthened  with  barricades,  and  there,  as  the  most  con- 
venient place,  assured  ourselves ; the  city  being  far  too 
spacious  for  so  small  and  weary  a troop  to  undertake  to 
guard. 

Somewhat  after  midnight,  they  who  had  the  guard 
of  the  castle,  hearing  us  busy  about  the  gates  of  the  said 
castle,  abandoned  the  same ; some  being  taken  prisoners, 
and  some  flying  away  by  the  help  of  boats  to  the  other 
side  of  the  haven,  and  so  into  the  country. 

“ The  next  day  we  quartered  a little  more  at  large,  but 
not  into  the  half  part  of  the  town;  and  so  making  sub- 
stantial trenches,  and  planting  all  the  ordnance  that  each 
part  was  correspondent  to  the  other,  we  held  this  town 
the  space  of  one  month. 

“ In  which  time  it  chanced  that  the  General  sent  on  his 
messages  to  the  Spaniards  a negro  boy  with  a flag  of 
white,  signifying  truce,  as  is  the  Spaniard’s  ordinary  man- 
ner to  do  there;  which  boy  unhappily  was  first  met  with 


64 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


some  who  furiously  struck  the  poor  boy  through  the  body 
with  one  of  their  horsemen’s  staves,  with  which  wound 
the  hoy  returned  to  the  General,  and  after  he  had  declared 
the  manner  of  this  wrongful  cruelty,  died  forthwith  in 
his  presence  ; wherewith  the  General,  being  greatlj^  pas- 
sioned, commanded  the  provost-marshal  to  cause  a couple 
of  friars,  then  prisoners,  to  be  carried  to  the  same  place 
where  the  boy  was  struck,  accompanied  with  sufficient 
guard,  and  there  presently  to  he  hanged,  despatching  at 
tlie  same  time  another  poor  prisoner,  with  the  reason 
wherefore  this  execution  was  done,  and  with  the  message, 
that  until  the  party  who  had  thus  murdered  the  General’s 
messenger  were  delivered  into  our  hands,  there  should  no 
day  pass  wherein  there  should  not  two  prisoners  he  hanged, 

until  thev  were  all  consumed  which  were  in  our  hands.  . . . 
%/ 

Upon  disagreements  with  their  commissioners,  we  still 
spent  the  early  mornings  in  firing  the  outmost  houses ; 
but  they,  being  built  very  magnificently  of  stone,  with 
high  lofts,  gave  us  no  small  travail  to  ruin  them. 

And  albeit  for  eleven  days  together  we  ordained  each 
morning  by  daybreak,  until  the  heat  began  at  nine  o’clock, 
that  two  hundred  mariners  did  nought  else  but  labour  to  fire 
and  burn  the  said  houses,  without  our  trenches,  while  the 
soldiers  stood  their  guard.  Yet  did  we  not,  nor  could  not, 
in  this  time,  consume  so  much  as  one-third  part  of  the 
town.  And  so,  in  the  end,  what  wearied  with  firing,  and 
what  hastened  by  some  other  respects,  we  were  contented 
to  accept  of  five-and-twenty  thousand  ducats  (about  30,000 
dollars)  for  the  ransom  of  the  rest  of  the  town.” 

Five  years  subsequent  to  this,  the  English  again  com- 
mitted depredations,  doing  injury  to  other  towns  upon  the 
coast;  and  the  effect  of  these  combined  misfortunes  was, 
that  the  entire  population  of  the  island  was  reduced  to 
less  than  14,000  inhabitants,  not  including  some  1200  run- 
away negroes,  who  were  encamped  in  the  inaccessible  parts 
of  the  island. 


DEC  A Y. 


65 


It  was  thus,  from  these  attacks,  that  the  island  rapidly 

receded  in  prosperity;  for,  in  addition  to  the  effects  on 

land,  the  waters  of  the  Spanish  Main  were  filled  with 

vessels  bearing  roving  commissions  to  prey  upon  the 

commerce  of  nations  not  at  peace  with  those  represented 

by  the  banners  fiying  at  their  masts.  From  this  cause 

intercourse  between  Spain  and  her  colonies  became  very 

difficult,  and  particularly  so  with  St  Domingo,  to  which 

this  connection  was  more  desirable  and  necessarv  than 

%/ 

it  was  to  the  mother  country,  and  the  trade  between  the 
two  became  almost  extinct;  for  it  was  only  once  in  two  or 
three  years,  at  most,  that  a few  ships  were  seen  in  the 
port  of  St  Domingo  city.  Its  only  external  relations  were 
with  Mexico;  and  had  it  not  been  for  foreigners,  the  Dutch 
in  particular,  the  colony  would  have  sunk  under  the  misery 
which  it  so  long  groaned  under. 

Encouraged  by  these  people,  who  were  anxious  to  ex- 
change their  products  and  manufactures  for  the  hides, 
cattle,  and  produce  of  the  island,  the  Dominicans  entered 
largely  into  a contraband  trade  at  the  towns  on  the  coast. 

The  Court  of  Madrid,  entirely  unmoved  at  this  con- 
dition of  affairs,  which  had  arisen  in  ’great  degree 
from  its  own  want  of  administration,  and  jealous  of  the 
interference  of  any  other  nation  in  its  trade,  shut  up, 
m 1606,  all  these  ports  except  St  Domingo  city,  and 
ordered  the  inhabitants  thereof  to  the  interior,  where, 
erecting  cabins  for  themselves,  they  became  only  indifferent 
agriculturists,  while  their  former  habitations  were  de- 
molished. This  was  another  signal  for  the  emigration  of 
numerous  families  from  the  island,  and  such  a state  of 
affairs  resulted  from  this,  that  the  authorities  of  the  time 
state,  that  the  fields  were  uncultivated,  and  the  farms 
were  depopulated  ; the  houses  were  going  to  ruin,  with 
closed  doors,  their  occupants  having  deserted  tliem ; the 
duties  and  taxes  that  could  be  collected  for  the  Govern- 
ment amounted  to  absolutely  nothin^:;  and  to  these  num- 


66 


SANTO  DOMINGO, 


berless  evils,  the  island  began  to  be  raided  on  by  the 
buccaneers.  But  the  appearance  of  these  people  in  the 
history  of  St  Domingo  is  of  such  importance,  that  I shall 
devote  a chapter  to  them  especially. 

While  events  of  this  nature  were  taking  place  in  the 
western  part,  there  was  hardly  anything  worthy  of  men- 
tion occurring  in  the  other  portion  of  the  Spanish  part, 
which  was  already  sunk  into  decay,  when  the  declaration 
of  war  in  1654  against  Spain  by  Oliver  Cromwell  gives  a 
new  interest  to  the  history  of  St  Domingo,  in  which  the 
English  largely  figure ; and  the  reader  of  English  history 
can  refer  to  the  details  of  the  disastrous  expedition  in  1655, 
sent  against  St  Domingo,  for  the  history  of  the  first  attempt 
of  England  to  make  a permanent  landing  on  Dominican 
soil. 

This  expedition  consisted  of  a squadron  under  com- 
mand of  Admiral  Penn,  having  on  board  9000  men  under 
the  command  of  General  Venables,  which,  having  arrived 
off  the  city  of  St  Domingo,  April  1655,  was  divided  into 
two  bodies,  for  the  purpose  of  attacking  two  difiPerent 
points. 

The  Spaniards  made  a united  and  strong  resistance,  lead- 
ing the  English  into  ambuscades,  and  with  such  success, 
that  the  troops  were  thrown  into  disorder,  and  compelled 
to  retire ; and  the  expedition  having  signally  failed  in  its 
object,  left  the  coast  of  the  island  for  Jamaica. 

Penn  and  Venables,  on  their  return  to  England,  were 
imprisoned  by  Cromwell,  and  their  conduct  being  investi- 
gated, they  were  liberated  from  prison,  but  disgraced  for 
their  want  of  skill  and  success.* 

* Walton  gives  an  amusing  account  of  the  manner  in  which  the  defeat 
of  the  English  was  brought  about.  He  says,  “ The  landcrabs  found  here  are  of 
an  immense  size,  burrow  in  the  sand,  and  at  night  issue  out  in  great  num- 
bers. On  the  above  occasion,  the  English  landed  an  ambuscade  to  surprise 
the  Spanish  camp,  which  being  unprepared,  and  consisting  of  irregulars,  had 
it  been  pushed,  must  have  certainly  fallen, 

“ The  advanced  line  from  the  first  boats  had  already  formed,  and  was 


FEAST  OF  THE  CRABS. 


67 


proceeding  to  take  post  behind  a copse,  when  they  heard  the  loud  and  quick 
clatter  of  horses’  feet,  and,  as  they  supposed,  of  the  Spanish  lancemen, 
who  are  dexterous,  and  whose  galling  onset  they  had  experienced  the  day 
before.  Thus  believing  themselves  discovered,  and  dreading  an  attack  before 
their  comrades  had  joined,  they  embarked  precipitately,  and  abandoned  their 
enterprise  ; but  the  alarm  proved  to  be  these  large  landcrabs,  which,  at  the 
sound  of  footsteps,  receded  to  their  holes,  the  noise  being  made  by  their 
clattering  over  the  dry  leaves,  which  the  English  soldiers  mistook  for  the 
sound  of  cavalry. 

“ In  honour  of  this  miracle  a feast  was  instituted,  and  celebrated  each  year, 
under  the  name  of  Feast  of  the  Crabs,  on  which  occasion  a solid  gold  landcrab 
was  carried  about  in  procession.” 


CHAPTER  y. 


Dreadful  as  hurricanes  athwart  the  main 
Rushed  the  fell  legions  of  invading  Spain  ; 
With  fraud  and  force  they  swept  the  isles.” 


The  Buccaneers  and  Early  French. — Origin  of  the  Buccaneers 
— Their  Manners  and  Custo7ns — Settlei?iefit  of  Tortuga^  and 
their  ExtensioTi  from  thence  under  the  Auspices  of  the  French — 
Settlement  of  St  Dommgo. 

Tj^ILLIBUSTER  is  a word  tliat  has  come  to  be  looked 
upon  as  almost  entirely  of  American  origin,  and  yet 
it  originated  with  Europeans,  as  did  also  the  class  of  people 
to  whom  it  properly  belonged. 

As  early  as  the  year  1600  the  Spaniards  in  the  New 
World,  particularly  that  part  of  it  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
Gulf  of  Mexico,  began  to  stop  the  ships  of  other  nations 
found  trading  in  these  waters,  on  the  plea  that,  by  right 
of  discovery,  all  those  lands  and  waters,  with  their  privi- 
leges of  trade  and  commerce,  belonged  exclusively  to  them. 

The  result  of  this  was  that,  though  Europe  generally 
was  at  peace,  the  English  and  French,  for  mutual  protec- 
tion to  their  commerce,  began  at  first  to  tolerate  the  fitting 
out  in  their  ports  of  privateers,  for  the  purpose  of  making 
reprisals  on  the  commerce  of  the  Spaniards,  as  well  as  to 
resist  the  arbitrary  acts  of  the  legalised  vessels,  the 

Guardia  Costas.” 

As  it  became  necessary  to  have  some  depot  for  these 
vessels  and  their  stores  in  the  waters  of  the  Antilles, 


EARLY  INTRUDERS. 


69 


by  a strange  coincidence  both  the  English  and  French 
selected  the  same  island  upon  which  to  establish  them- 
selves ; but,  as  it  appears,  on  different  sides  of  the  small 
island  of  St  Christopher,  one  of  the  lesser  Antilles.  This 
was  at  first  selected  as  the  point  most  convenient  from 
which  to  start  out  on  their  privateering  enterprises. 

Here,  in  this  island,  the  subjects  of  the  two  powers  of 
France  and  England  seem  to  have  remained  peacefully 
and  quietly  in  joint  occupation,  even  uniting  their  forces 
against  the  native  inhabitants. 

The  French,  it  is  said,  busied  themselves  in  making 
large  boats  from  a peculiar  tree,  in  which  they  wan- 
dered about  among  the  neighbouring  islands,  goiug  so 
far  even  as  to  land  on  the  shores  of  St  Domingo,  particu- 
larly on  the  north  coast,  the  wild  cattle  of  which  offered 
them  tempting  inducements.  They  had  thus  established 
themselves  in  small  parties  from  Samana  to  Tortuga. 

Each  nationality  being  anxious  to  retain  possession  of 
St  Christopher  for  its  own  Government,  representatives 
returned  to  France  and  England  to  inform  their  respective 
Governments  of  the  advantages  to  be  gained  in  securing 
and  settling  this  island. 

Cardinal  Richelieu,  in  France,  immediately  took  steps  to 
secure  these  advantages  to  the  French ; and  a company 
was  formed  for  the  working  of  this  and  other  islands, 
in  which  he  himself  took  stock.  This  company  was  known 
as  the  “ Compagnie  des  lies ; ” and  every  one  embarking 
under  its  auspices  was  required  to  remain  in  the  islands 
and  labour  there  three  years  for  the  benefit  of  the  com- 
pany, in  consideration  of  receiving  his  passage  free.  This 
class  of  persons  was  known  as  engages,”  and  became 
of  great  importance  afterwards  in  the  settlement  of  the 
New  World. 

The  English,  having  pursued  the  same  policy,  were 
rapidly  growing  to  be  the  stronger  party  in  the  island, 
though  as  yet  they  both  occupied  it  jointly  and  peace- 


70 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


ably ; but  tlie  rapid  growth  of  the  settlement  alarmed  the 
Spanish  Government  for  the  safety  of  its  own  possessions 
in  those  regions,  and  in  1630  Frederic  of  Toledo,  being  on 
his  way  with  a large  fleet  to  chastise  the  Dutch  in  Brazil, 
was  directed  by  his  sovereign  to  destroy  the  combined 
settlement  of  the  French  and  English  at  St  Christopher. 

This  he  did  so  effectually,  that  the  inhabitants  were 
all  either  killed,  taken  prisoners,  or  dispersed ; and  those 
who  effected  their  escape  were  forced  to  take  refuge  in 
some  of  the  neighbouring  islands,  a large  number  finding 
their  way  to  the  small  island  of  Tortuga  on  the  north-west 
coast  of  Hayti. 

Here  they  were  joined  by  some  Dutch  refugees  from 
Santa  Cruz,  fleeing  also  from  the  wrath  of  the  Spaniards ; 
and  being  struck  with  the  advantages  of  the  Isle  of 
Tortuga,  and  finding  there  only  a handful  of  Spaniards, 
these  brethren  of  the  sea,”  as  they  called  themselves, 
made  a permanent  location. 

They  were  prompted,  also,  by  a desire  to  find  a more 
convenient  place  than  St  Christopher  from  whence  to 
attack  the  Spanish  vessels  en  route  to  and  from  St  Domingo 
and  Cuba ; for  the  currents  were  so  strong,  and  the  winds 
so  contrary,  that  it  was  a tedious  matter  for  them  to  come 
up  from  St  Christopher,  having  only  their  sails  and  oars 
upon  which  to  rely. 

Thus,  then,  we  have  the  representatives  of  three  differ- 
ent nationalities  in  this  little  island  of  Tortuga,  but  which 
was  to  be  the  nucleus  of  a great  settlement.  They  were 
all,  however,  united  in  one  respect,  their  misfortunes  having 
made  them  companions  in  adversity,  and  in  looking  upon 
the  Spaniards  as  their  common  enemy,  whose  possessions 
in  Hispanola  they  made  their  common  hunting-grounds 
for  the  immense  herds  of  wild  cattle  that  at  the  time 
overran  the  entire  western  part. 

•Thus  establishing  themselves  upon  Tortuga,  they 
agreed  that,  while  one  portion  should  remain  upon  it 


THE  BUCCAXEERS, 


71 


and  cultivate  tlie  soil,  anotlier  portion  should  occupy 
themselves  in  hunting  on  the  mainland,  in  order  to  keej) 
the  settlers  supplied  with  meat,  and  a third  portion 
devoted  themselves,  as  they  called  it,  to  the  commerce  of 
the  seas,  that  is,  in  seeking  out  vessels  in  the  narrow 
channels,  which  they  could  attack  in  their  long  boats.  In 
this  manner  these  people  became  divided  into  three  classes, 
those  remaining  on  the  island  being  known  as  the  habi- 
tans,”  or  planters,  and  those  following  the  sea,  who,  in 
fact,  became  pirates ; for  this  island  was  a sort  of  advanced 
post  by  which  all  vessels  going  to  or  from  Peru,  Cuba, 
and  Mexico,  generally  passed,  thus  affording  them  ample 
opportunity  to  indulge  their  vocation. 

This  pursuit  was  followed  in  a large  long  boat,  most  fre^ 
quently  propelled  by  oars  worked  by  crews  consisting  of  from 
fifteen  to  thirty  men ; 

^ho,  well  armed,  did 
not  hesitate  to  attack 
most  of  the  vessels  that 
fell  in  their  way.  As  , 
these  boats  were  made 
light,  and  were  very 
fast,  they  received  the 
various  names  of frei- 
hote^  Jly-hote^  or  Jlei- 
dote,  and  their  crews 
came  thus  to  acquire 
the  names  oifreiboteros 
(freebooters),  which,  in 
our  time,  has  become 
corrupted  into  Jilli- 
buster. 

The  third  portion 
were  known  as  bou- 
caniers  (a  name  cor- 
rupted into  buccaneers)^  being  those  engaged  in  the 


72 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


hunting  of  cattle,  and  getting  their  peculiar  name  from 
the  rude  manner  of  cooking  their  meat,  a mode  adapted 
from  the  Carihs  in  those  islands,  who  in  this  manner 

disposed  of  the  bodies  of 
their  victims.  This  mode 
was  simply  to  make  a 
frame  of  green  boughs, 
known  as  a boucan,” 
upon  which  the  meat 
was  laid,  and  under  this 
a slow  fire  was  kept, 
which  23artly  smoked  and 
partly  cooked  the  meat; 
which,  in  that  climate, 
they  were  thus  enabled 
to  keep  a short  time  for 
use. 

Of  these  ‘^boucan- 
iers,”  there  were  two 
classes  : — one  which 
hunted  the  cattle  exclusively  for  their  hides;  and  the 
other,  those  who  hunted  only  the  wild  boars  and  pigs  for 
their  meat,  which  they  salted  down  and  sold. 

The  former  had  with  them  a pack  of  hounds  or  dogs, 
usually  from  fifteen  to  twenty  in  number.  Tliey  carried 
a long  gun,  that  was  made  expressly  for  them  in 
France,  the  barrel  being  from  four  to  four  and  a half 
feet  long,  and  of  uniform  calibre,  sixteen  balls  to  the 
pound. 

Their  clothing  consisted  usually  of  a cotton  shirt,  and 
a pair  of  drawers  or  pants,  made  loose  and  baggy  like  a 
frock,  while  for  shoes  they  used  the  skin  of  the  pigs  or 
cattle  they  killed.  A close-fitting  cap,  with  a small 
visor,  completed  this  costume.  On  their  expeditions 
they  carried  with  them  into  the  woods  a small  linen 
tent,  which  they  used  for  purposes  of  shelter  from  tbe 


TEE  BUCCANEERS 


73 


sun,  and  the  attacks  of  the  flies,  which  abounded  in  the 
island. 

Being  thus  equipped,  these  boucaniers  joined  in  pairs, 
calling  each  other  matelot^  owned  into 

the  common  stock  ; and  as  they  increased  in  wealth  and 
means,  they  also  had  servants,  who  were  usually  of  the  class 
known  as  engages,  of  whom  they  had  paid  the  passage 
from  France,  thus  buying  them  body  and  soul  for  the  term 
of  three  years. 

They  left  Tortuga,  and  crossing  to  the  main  island  of 
St  Domingo,  were  sometimes  absent  as  long  as  a year  in 
the  woods,  selecting  certain  localities  which  they  made 
known  to  each  other,  and  where  they  erected  often  small 
huts  called  ajoupas^  derived  from  the  Indian  word  lodge. 

They  spent  their  days,  attended  by  their  servants  and 
dogs,  in  hunting  the  wild  cattle,  which  they  slaughtered 
for  their  hides  only,  leaving  the  meat  to  spoil.  Having 
found  as  many  hides  as  they  could  carry  upon  their  backs, 
they  returned  to  their  place  of  departure,  where  they  cured 
the  hides  in  the  most  primitive  manner,  partaking  also  of 
a repast  of  meat  cooked  as  described  above.  Their  only 
amusement  seemed  to  be  flring  at  a mark,  and  most  of 
them  were  skilful  marksmen. 

Having  gained  hides  and  meat  enough,  they  returned 
either  to  the  seaside,  where  they  had  opportunities  of 
disposing  of  their  property,  or  they  crossed  to  Tortuga, 
where  they  supplied  themselves  with  the  few  articles  they 
needed  in  their  rude  manner  of  life,  and  then  delivered 
themselves  up  to  carousal  and  dissipation  until  their  means 
were  exhausted. 

Their  principal  vice  was  drunkenness,  which  they  brought 
about  by  imbibing  pure  brandy,  drinking  it  as  freely  as  the 
Spaniards  did  water.  Sometimes  they  bought  together  a 
pipe  of  wine,  and  staving  in  the  head  of  it,  tliey  never 
ceased  to  drink  until  the  wine  was  exhausted  and  their 
money  spent. 


74 


SAXTO  DOMINGO. 


At  first  neither  the  planters  nor  the  buccaneers  had 
other  servants  than  the  engages,  and  the  cruelties  prac- 
tised upon  these  poor  people  of  the  white  race  <^uite  equal 


nerry-makiug. 


anything  in  the  annals  of  African  slavery.  They  were 
starved,  beaten,  maimed,  and  killed,  at  the  pleasure  of 
their  brutal  masters,  without  having  any  one  to  look  to 
for  redress. 

It  does  not  appear  that  the  original  settlers  of  Tortuga 
engaged  in  piracy,  but  settled  down  to  hunting  and  jilant- 
ing ; and  it  was  only  after  the  Spaniards  had  made  their 
first  great  attack  upon  them,  murdering  those  that  were 
on  the  island,  and  destroying  their  plantations,  that,  in 
revenge,  after  having  united  themselves  into  a society, 
they  began  to  make  reprisals  on  the  Spaniards  and  their 
commerce,  which  finally  extended  itself  to  such  a degree, 
that  it  was  hardly  safe  for  a Spanish  vessel  to  cross  the 
ocean,  until,  not  finding  objects  for  their  attacks,  the  more 
adventurous  of  these  freebooters  led  expeditions  against 
the  Spanish  settlements  of  Cuba,  the  Isthmus,  and  South 
America. 

The  first  pirate  of  whom  there  seems  to  be  any  parti- 
cular mention  was  one  known  as  Peter  the  G-reat,  a man 
who  had  been  born  at  Dieppe  in  Normandy,  and  who, 
having  captured  a Spanish  ship  in  a small  boat  with 


HEXBY  MORGAX. 


(D 


twentv-eio'lit  men,  became  famous.  The  news  of  this  rich 
prize  raised  such  excitement  in  Tortuga,  that  many  of  the 
hunters  and  planters  determined  to  follow  his  example ; 
and  leaving  their  regular  occupations,  they  began  their 
career  of  piracy,  at  first  in  small  boats,  and  as  their  means 
increased  they  invested  in  large  vessels,  with  which  they 
extended  their  operations,  returning  to  Tortuga  to  dispose 
of  their  spoils,  being  sure  of  finding  there  ships  with  mer- 
chants ready  to  j)urchase  them,  as  in  a few  years  this  island 
became  a famous  place  of  business  and  resort  for  all  people 
engaged  in  commerce,  whether  legal  or  illegal,  in  those 
waters. 

Among  the  most  notorious  of  those  leaders  who  originally 
started  out  from  Tortuga,  was  the  famous  Morgan,  after- 


ilorgan. 


wards  Sir  Henry,  who,  after  committing  every  crime  knowu, 
• ended  by  stealing  the  booty  of  his  comrades,  witli  whicli. 


76 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


retiring  to  tlie  Island  of  Jamaica,  lie  succeeded  in  making 
a portion  of  the  world  believe  he  was  a high-toned  honour- 
able man,  becoming  actually  an  officer  of  the  Government, 
and  receiving  the  honour  of  knighthood.  His  portraits 
represent  him  as  a fine-looking  gentleman,  and  he  is  said 
to  have  sprung  from  a respectable  family  in  Wales  ; but  the 
records  of  some  of  his  comrades  show  him  to  be  as  guilty 
of  hypocrisy  as  he  was  of  every  known  iniquity. 

There  was  not  much  of  which  to  be  proud  amongst  any 
of  these  brethren  of  the  sea,”  no  matter  to  what  nation- 
ality they  belonged;  for  though  the  “ Romance  of  History” 
has  endeavoured  to  glorify  some  of  them  for  their  deeds, 
the  candid  reader  can  come  to  no  other  conclusion  than 
that  the  whole  were  a lot  of  arrant  vagabonds,  being 
thieves  and  murderers  on  a large  scale,  the  only  point  in 
their  favour  being  that  they  were  all  men  recklessly 
brave. 

The  permanent  hold  of  the  buccaneers  upon  Tortuga 
was  not  secured,  however,  until  after  many  reverses  ; for 
the  Spanish  Governor,  i^cuna,  having  notified  his  sovereign 
of  their  occupation  of  Tortuga,  caused  so  much  alarm, 
that  a Spanish  fleet  was  sent  to  St  Domingo  with  orders 
to  destroy  this  settlement. 

The  measures  to  accomplish  this  were  taken  with  such 
precaution,  that,  in  1638,  the  buccaneers  were  surprised 
while  many  of  their  comrades  were  away  at  sea  and 
others  in  the  mountains,  so  that  it  was  an  easy  matter  to 
put  those  surprised  to  the  sword ; and  the  Spaniards, 
thinking  they  had  thus  extinguished  the  settlement,  retired 
without  taking  the  precaution  to  leave  a garrison  on  the 
island. 

The  buccaneers  who  were  at  sea,  on  returning  to  learn 
the  fate  of  their  comrades  and  find  their  settlement  de- 
stroyed, determined,  for  their  own  safety,  to  form  a regular 
organisation,  and  sacrifice  their  individual  independence 
for  social  security ; and  they,  therefore,  chose  for  their 


ISLAND  OF  TORTUGA. 


t i 


leader  an  Englishman  named  Willis,  who  had  distinguished 
himself  amongst  them  by  his  bravery  and  judgment,  and 
under  whose  command,  in  1639,  they  returned  and  estab- 
lished themselves  permanently  on  the  island. 

This  island,  so  famous  in  the  history  of  the  New 


Ech^lle  c/e  ^ [teues  '^ra^co^es 

iiiiiiiinTTr. 


Lay  J^cnis  on  duy  C rt<.v  BT'ne.uy, 
hajje  f^T'y‘e  ou Jont Us  Maga-z 
C J.eT'orf  de  / u Ro che 

D . La-Iowr  ou  leloni 

E,  t'izj/hse 
T,  le  C Hem 
ba^e  ter -re, 
n lu  Mo  n 
y ne  ei^a  to.  . 

H.oc7tc^A^^ 


Plan,  de  J.f/e  de  la  loritte' 

cofnrrte  elte  se  7'oit  {tu.-i  o ^J.r~ 
d a.Wec  la  dtJlccTiee  He 
ejl  ele  IJle:  Esr> agnoUcy. 


Plan  of  Tortuga. 


World,  was  called  from  its  peculiar  shape,  as  seen  from 
the  sea,  “ Tortuga  de  Mar,”  or  sea- turtle,  and  is  described 
at  this  time  as  a rocky  isle,  upon  whose  face  grew  roots 
of  trees  like  ivy  against  a wall ; the  north  of  the  island, 
precipitous,  rough,  and  unhealthy,  affording  no  shelter 
whatever.  On  the  south  side  there  was  only  one  port, 
indifferently  good,  but  having  two  entrances,  allowing 
the  passage  of  seventy-gun  ships. 

The  lowlands  contained  the  town  of  the  port,  where 
lived  the  principal  and  richest  planters.  On  the  island 
there  was  abundance  of  wood  for  ship-building,  fruits, 
medicinal  plants,  &c.,  while  wild  boars,  pigeons,  landcrabs, 
and  sea-crabs,  abounded. 

8 


78 


SANTO  DOAflNGO. 


Sometime  after  AVillis  liad  been  made  captain,  a French 
freebooter  arrived  on  the  island,  and  not  being  pleased  at 
finding  so  many  of  his  countrymen  under  the  authority  of 
an  English  leader,  he  returned  to  the  Island  of  St  Christopher, 
where  the  French  were  re-established  under  the  command 
of  Chevalier  de  Poincy,  a Knight  of  the  Order  of  Malta. 
To  him  was  made  known  the  condition  of  affairs  at  Tortuga. 

De  Poincy  immediately  took  steps  to  secure  the  island 
for  the  French : and  there  being  at  the  time  at  St  Chris- 
topher an  engineer,  Captain  le  Yasseur,  an  arrangement 
was  made  by  which  he  should  proceed  to  Tortuga  as  Grover- 
nor.  On  his  arrival  at  that  island  he  was  well  received 
by  the  French  inhabitants ; and  they  being  largely  in  the 
majority,  the  English  were  compelled  to  leave  the  island 
quietly  in  possession  of  the  French,  the  former  proceeding 
to  Jamaica. 

Le  Yasseur  being  thus  in  command,  and  fearing  the 
return  of  the  Spaniards,  built  a fort  on  the  top  of  a high 
rock  that  completely  commanded  the  port  and  entrance 
with  its  battery  of  two  guns. 

De  Poincy,  however,  began  to  mistrust  his  Governor,  Le 
Yasseur,  and  therefore  organised  an  expedition  to  fully 
establish  his  authority  over  Tortuga ; but,  on  its  arrival 
at  that  island,  it  was  found  that  Le  Yasseur  had  just  died, 
and  the  troops  of  De  Poincy  being  well  received  by  the 
colonists,  order  was  soon  established. 

Hardly  was  this  done  when  the  Spaniards  in  strong 
force  again  appeared,  and  a large  number  of  the  male 
inhabitants  being  absent,  the  island  was  captured,  the 
Governor  retiring  within  the  fort,  where  he  Was  besieged ; 
but  making  a stout  defence,  he  was  finally  permitted  by 
the  Spaniards  to  leave  the  island  with  his  people,  with  all 
the  honours  of  war,  carrying  with  them  their  arms. 

The  Spaniards  then  left  a garrison  of  some  sixty  men, 
and  it  remained  in  their  possession  until  De  Rossy,  a 
gentleman  of  Perigord,  and  who  had  previously  been  a 


ISLAND  OF  TORTUGA. 


79 


pirate,  determined,  after  the  death  of  De  Poincy,  the 
Governor  of  St  Christopher,  to  recapture  Tortuga.  Arrang- 
ing his  plans  with  great  skill,  he  surprised  the  Spaniards, 
and  took  the  fort  from  a side  they  thought  inaccessible ; 
and  then  sending  the  Spanish  prisoners  in  a boat  to  Cuba, 
he  re-established  the  authority  of  the  French  upon  the 
island. 

Leaving  his  nephew,  De  la  Place,  as  his  proxy,  De 
Rossy  returned  to  France,  where  he  died,  De  la  Place 
governing  until  1664,  when  the  West  India  Company  took 
possession  in  right  of  their  charter,  which  gave  them 
exclusive  control  over  the  trade  of  the  French  Antilles. 

This  company  sent  to  Tortuga  a garrison  with  a number 
of  military  and  civic  officers,  appointing  D’Ogeron  as  Gover- 
nor ; and  from  that  time  began  a period  of  prosperity 
and  success  for  this  island  and  the  western  part  of  St 
Domingo. 

D’Ogeron,  acting  under  the  company,  established  store- 
houses and  dwellings  for  the  servants  and  business  of  the 
company;  and  being  a man  thoroughly  familiar  with  these 
islands  and  their  inhabitants,  acted  with  judgment  and 
success. 

A guarantee  of  safety  and  protection  being  thus  given 
to  this  island  and  its  ports,  numbers  of  traders,  merchants, 
and  pirates,  were  attracted  there  as  a place  both  safe  and 
convenient  in  which  to  transact  their  business,  and  its 
port  soon  became  a busy  and  important  place. 

The  lands  began  now  to  be  regularly  cultivated,  and 
the  number  of  people  increasing,  soon  spread  themselves 
out  upon  the  mainland  of  St  Domingo;  and  war  being 
declared  between  the  Spaniards  and  Portuguese,  commis- 
sions were  issued  to  privateers  to  make  war  on  Spanish 
commerce. 

With  a view  to  make  the  settlers  on  land  more  con- 
tented with  their  lot,  and  to  attach  tliem  permanently 
to  their  lands,  D’Ogeron  had  a number  of  women  brought 


80 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


out  from  France,  and  either  bestowed  them  upon,  or 
sold  them  to,  the  settlers.  These  women  were  the  very 
dregs  of  the  Paris  courtesans,  and  were  assigned  as  so 
much  merchandise  amongst  the  rude,  uncouth  buccaneers; 
and  it  is  quite  amusing  to  see  in  what  a perfectly  matter- 
of-fact  way  they  took  possession  of  their  new  helpmates  : — 
I take  thee  without  knowing,  or  caring  to  know, 
who  thou  art.  If  anybody  from  whence  thou  comest 
would  have  had  thee,  thou  wouldst  not  have  come  in  quest 
of  me.  But  no  matter;  I do  not  desire  thee  to  give  me 
an  account  of  thy  past  conduct,  because  I have  no  right 
to  be  offended  at  it  at  the  time  when  thou  wast  at  liberty 
to  behave  either  ill  or  well  according  to  thy  own  pleasure, 
and  because  I shall  have  no  reason  to  be  ashamed  of 
anything  thou  wast  guilty  of  when  thou  didst  not  belong 
to  me.  Give  me  only  thy  word  for  the  future ; I acquit 
thee  of  the  past.”  Striking  then  his  hand  on  the  barrel 
of  his  gun,  he  added,  This  will  revenge  me  of  thy  breach 
of  faith ; if  thou  shouldst  prove  false,  this  will  surely  be 
true  to  my  aim.” 

Not  a very  encouraging  style  of  wooing,  even  for  a 
courtesan. 

From  this  time  forward  the  Island  of  Tortuga,  and  the 
adjoining  portion  of  St  Domingo,  rapidly  advanced  in 
importance,  and  the  history  of  the  French  and  buccaneers 
becomes  identified. 

As  Tortuga  grew  in  importance,  many  of  the  class  of 
habitans  had  sought  the  seaside  of  the  Island  of  St 
Domingo,  establishing  there,  on  the  most  convenient  places, 
their  plantations  of  tobacco,  corn,  &c.,  until  almost  the 
entire  coast  of  the  western  part  of  the  island  was  inhabited 
by  these  people,  and  newcomers  were  forced  to  go  further 
inland,  by  which  process  the  main  island  had  gradually 
became  tolerably  well  settled.  The  part  where  these 
people  first  located  was  known  as  the  Cul-de-sac,  a large 
valley  in  the  west,  extending  to  the  sea;  and  the  in- 


D^OGERON. 


81 


habitants  increased  so  fast,  that  in  1672  there  were  2000 
planters. 

At  first  they  incurred  niuch  hardship,  as  they  were  not 
able  to  leave  the  island  to  procure  provisions,  and  the 
labour  of  clearing  the  ground  was  very  great,  filled  as 
it  was  with  trees  and  roots.  They  first  planted  beans, 
but  they  ripened  and  died  away  in  six  weeks ; then  the 
potato  was  laid,  which  did  well,  and  following  this,  the 
manioc  or  cassava;  and  subsequently,  when  all  manner  of 
fruits  were  raised  to  sustain  life,  the  culture  of  tobacco  was 
entered  into  extensively. 

Under  D’Ogeron,  who  seems  to  have  been  a man  of 
sound  judgment  and  great  energy,  the  French  colony  of 
St  Domingo  made  rapid  strides.  Although  constant  dis- 
putes were  occurring  with  the  Spaniards  in  reference  to 
boundaries,  and  although  on  the  frontier  the  planers  were 
compelled  to  work  in  their  fields  with  arms  by  their  sides, 
yet  such  was  the  wisdom  of  D’Ogeron,  who  had  been  con- 
firmed as  Governor  of  the  entire  French  possessions, 
that,  in  marked  contrast  to  the  Spaniards,  the  French 
were  rapidly  increasing  in  numbers  and  wealth. 

The  year  1666  was  a famous  year  in  the  annals  of  the 
entire  island,  being  known  as  the  year  of  the  Sixes,” 
and  the  population  suffered  severely  from  the  ravages  of 
small-pox,  dysentery,  and  other  diseases  that  prevailed 
as  epidemics. 

In  endeavouring  to  extend  the  influence  of  French 
authority  over  the  Island  of  St  Domingo,  D’Ogeron  met 
with  some  opposition  from  the  planters,  who,  having  opened 
a trade  with  the  Flemings,  thought  it  more  profitable 
to  continue  that,  and  refused  to  recognise  the  French 
right  to  the  exclusive  trade  of  the  island,  on  the  ground 
that  they  were  neutrals  in  neutral  territory.  But  D’Ogeron, 
with  prompt  decision,  made  an  attack  on  the  mutineers, 
and,  having  defeated  them,  hung  several  by  way  of 
example.  His  efforts  having  alarmed  the  Flemish  traders, 


SAXTO  DOMIXGO. 


S2 


they  ceased  tc  Tisit  the  island,  which  was  thus  restored 
to  tranquillity ; and  as  noany  families  came  out  from  Brit- 
tany and  AnjotL  the  island  from  that  time  began  a won- 
derful career  of  prc-gress  and  prosperity. 

As  the  Spaniar*is.  after  their  Tarious  raids  on  the  French 
settlers,  had  left  no  garrisons  to  prevent  their  return,  the 
latter  quickly  retume*!  to  their  desolated  places,  and  with 
renewed  energy  and  enterprise  rebuilt  their  plantations. 

Still  such  a guerilla  war  was  kept  up,  that  there  was 
no  peace  for  those  hardy  settlers  who  were  forced  to  labour 
in  their  fields  with  their  firearms  within  reach,  until 
D'Ogeron,  indignant  at  these  repeated  attacks,  and  the 
losses  his  colony  had  sustained,  conceived  the  idea  of 
conquering  the  whole  of  the  Spanish  part,  and  with  this 
idea  organised  a force  of  5C*0  men,  which  he  placed  under 
the  coTynand  of  the  freebooter  Delisle,  with  instructions 
to  take  the  city  of  Santiago,  next  to  the  capital  the  most 
impK>rtant  town  in  the  island. 

Delisle  with  his  troops  debarked  in  1669  at  Puerto 
Plata  on  the  north  coast,  and  from  thence  marched  upon 
Santiago,  which  place  he  found  had  been  abandoned  by 
its  inhabitants,  who  had  taken  refuge  in  the  town  of 
Concepcion  de  la  Vega.  Findizg,  however,  that  Delisle 
intended  to  bum  their  city,  they  paid  him  a ransom  to 
leave  it  intact,  with  which  he  retired  by  the  route  he  had 
come. 

Encouraged  by  this  attempt  at  retaliation,  the  French 
spread  themselves  out  in  the  beautiful  plain  of  Limonade 
near  Cape  Francais,  hoping  henceforth  to  be  freed  from 
annoyance  by  the  Sjianiards : and  as  immediately  opposite 
the  isle  of  Tortuga  there  was  a fine  bay,  the  shores  of 
which  were  surrounded  by  high  and  fertile  hills,  a per- 
manent settlement,  which  afterwards  grew  into  a large 
town,  was  located  there.  This  bay  was  known  as  Port  de 
Pail  or  Port  of  Peace. 

D'O^reron  also  in  1674  sent  reinforcements  to  Samana, 


DE  POrAXCl 


which  had  been  attacked  by  the  Spaniards,  bat  without 
success. 

So  encouraged  was  the  GoTernor  by  the  rapid  increase 
of  the  French  colony,  that  he  determined  to  renim  t*j 
France,  and  endeavour  to  induce  the  home  Government  to 
send  out  a strong  force,  with  which  he  pledsrcd  himself 
he  would  conquer  the  whole  island  for  the  French — a 
promise  which,  without  doubt,  from  the  weak  state  of  the 


Fort  de 


Spanish  colony,  he  would  have  l>een  able  easily  to  have 
kept.  Unfortunately  he  died  the  following  year  in  Fnvuce. 
and  the  colony  lost  in  him  one  of  the  Wst  governors  it 
ever  had.  He  wa>.  however,  succeeded  by  IV  Foiiancy, 
his  nephew,  who,  though  a most  excellent  man.  d^vs  not 
apj^>ear  to  have  l>een  endowed  with  the  same  extoiuleii  and 
lil>eral  ideas  a>  his  uncle ; and  he,  fearinsr  that  the  settle- 
ment at  Samana  could  not  K'  maintained,  withdrew  the 


84 


. SANTO  DOMINGO. 


inhabitaiits  of  tbat  place  to  Cape  Francais,  where  a per- 
manent establishment  had  been  already  made. 

The  French,  following  the  example  of  the  Spaniards, 
had  in  the  past  few  years  gone  largely  into  the  slave 
trade,  several  fleets  loaded  with  their  human  freights 
having  from  time  to  time  arrived  at  Tortuga,  from  whence 
their  cargoes  of  negroes  were  distributed  among  the  French 
planters,  by  whom  they  were  set  to  work  cultivating  their 
lands  upon  the  main  island  of  St  Domingo. 

Even  at  this  early  period  in  the  island’s  history,  the 
cruelties  practised  upon  the  slaves  were  so  great,  that  in 
1678  a rising  among  the  negroes  took  place,  incited  by  a 
negro  named  Padrejan,  who,  having  killed  his  Spanish 
master,  had  fled  to  Tortuga  for  refuge ; but  fearing  to  he 
captured  and  punished  some  day  by  the  Spaniards,  and 
seeing  the  discontent  of  the  negroes  on  the  French  plan- 
tations, he  resolved  to  make  use  of  this  as  a means  to 
restore  himself  to  favour  with  his  former  masters. 

Inciting,  therefore,  a number  of  slaves  to  join  him,  he 
began  to  attack  the  French  settlements,  killing  the  in- 
habitants and  burning  their  places.  Anally  retiring  to  the 
mountain  fortress  of  Tarare,  where  he  intrenched  himself. 
His  incursions  annoyed  the  French  to  such  a degree,  that 
there  was  no  peace  or  safety  so  long  as  he  remained  uncon- 
(juered,  and  a number  of  buccaneers  coming  into  Port  de 
Paix,  Governor  De  Pouancy  made  a contract  with  them  to 
attack  and  capture  Padrejan  ;*  and  they,  having  carried 
out  their  plans  with  great  vigour  and  resolution,  succeeded 
in  killing  and  dispersing  the  negro  chief  and  his  followers. 

Although  on  this  occasion  these  pirates  had  rendered 
such  signal  service  to  the  island,  they  were  not  considered 
as  very  desirable  colonists,  from  their  restless  habits  and 
indisposition  to  recognise  any  regularly  constituted  autho- 
rity, and  though  at  this  time  they  were  much  reduced 
in  numbers,  there  were  yet  enough  scattered  throughout 
the  island  to  make  trouble  when  united  with  the  factious 


DE  CUSSY. 


85 


spirits  among  the  planters,  who  at  this  time  were  in  a 
state  of  discontent  from  certain  restrictions  and  mono- 
polies of  the  West  India  Company,  particularly  in  regard 
to  tobacco. 

Up  to  1684,  neither  religion  nor  justice  were  admin- 
istered in  the  French  colony ; and  in  that  year  two  com- 
missioners were  sent  out  from  France  to  concert  measures 
with  Governor  De  Cussv  for  the  better  regulation  of  the 
colony. 

Courts  of  judicature  were  established  for  the  several 
districts,  responsible  to  a supreme  council  at  Petit  Goave: 
and  relief  was  asked  from  the  home  Government,  without 
success,  for  the  removal  of  the  restrictions  which  had  been 
imposed  upon  commerce,  particularly  on  the  article  of 
tobacco. 

When  De  Cussy  first  arrived  on  the  island,  he  found 
the  inhabitants  there  fretting  at  this  monopoly  of  tobacco 
by  the  Government,  which  farmed  it  out,  and  they  im- 
mediately prayed  the  Governor  to  remove  it ; but  this  not 
having  been  acceded  to,  they,  perhaps  fearing  a like 
monopoly,  destroyed  their  plantations  of  cotton  and  indigo, 
and  devoted  themselves  to  the  culture  of  cocoa,  the  first 
plantation  of  which  had  been  established  by  D’Ogeron. 

Tortuga  having  now  become  almost  deserted  bv  the 
planters  who  sought  the  mainland,  De  Cussy  endea- 
voured to  induce  settlers  to  locate  on  that  island,  but 
without  success,  and  the  island  finally  came  to  be  utterly 
deserted,  its  inhabitants  and  trade  going  to  strengthen  the 
new  town  of  Port  de  Paix,  nearly  opposite  on  the  main 
island.  And  thus  this  place,  once  of  such  great  historic 
interest  in  the  civilisation  of  the  Xew  World,  entered  a 
state  of  decay  and  oblivion,  from  which  it  seems  never  to 
have  recovered. 

In  the  year  1685,  in  France  was  published  the  cele- 
brated edict  by  Louis  XIV.  that  became  famous  under 
the  name  of  the  Code  Xoir,  and  that  was  to  have  such 


86 


SANTO  DOMINGO, 


an  effect  upon  the  affairs  of  the  coloured  population  of  the 
West  Indies,  as  it  was  made  to  prescribe  the  duties  of 
master  and  slave,  and  the  privileges  of  the  free  coloured 
men. 

In  1689,  war  having  been  declared  between  France  and 
Spain,  M.  de  Franquesnay  had  been  sent  to  the  island  to 
organise  expeditions  of  the  freebooters  against  the  Spanish 
possessions  in  South  America  and  Mexico;  the  Grovernor, 
De  Gussy,  availed  himself  of  the  return  of  this  expedition 
from  Panama  to  conduct,  in  1689,  another  one  against 
the  Spanish  town  of  Santiago  de  los  Caballeros.  Al- 
though he  encountered  a force  of  Spaniards,  who  made  a 
strong  defence,  on  the  banks  of  .the  Amina,  he  succeeded in 
taking  that  place,  where  his  men,  partaking  of  the  meat 
left  in  the  houses,  were  many  of  them  taken  suddenly  sick, 
and  believing  they  had  been  purposely  poisoned  by  the 
Spaniards,  De  Gussy  in  revenge  ordered  the  city  to  be  first 
sacked  and  then  burned  down,  having  accomplished  which 
he  withdrew  his  forces. 

The  Spaniards,  however,  soon  took  revenge  for  this 
attack,  for  the  Spanish  part  of  the  island  being  under 
the  command  of  the  royal  admiral,  Don  Ignacio  Caro,  he 
organised  a considerable  expedition  against  the  French. 

This  expedition,  organised  in  1691,  consisted  of  2600 
men  that  entered  the  French  territory  from  two  points  : 
by  land  from  the  frontiers  of  the  Cibao,  and  by  sea  at 
the  Port  of  Bayaja  (or  Port  Dauphin)  for  the  purpose  of 
attacking  Gape  Francais. 

De  Gussy,  getting  news  of  the  movement,  organised, 
with  De  Franquesnay,  a large  force,  and  gave  battle  to 
the  Spaniards  at  Sabana  Keal,  January  21,  1691. 

The  result  of  this  battle  was  for  a long  time  uncertain, 
until  Antonio  Miniel,  a native  of  Santiago,  who  had  held 
in  ambush  some  300  lancers,  seeing  the  fight  going  against 
the  Spaniards,  gave  the  signal  to  his  men  to  attack,  when, 
falling  upon  the  French,  a great  slaughter  ensued,  among 


DU  COSSE. 


87 


those  killed  being  the  Governor  De  Cussy,  Franquesnay, 
and  other  distinguished  officers,  the  entire  French  force 
being  defeated. 

Following  up  their  victory,  the  Spaniards  entered  the 
French  territory,  burning  and  devastating  everything  in 
their  way,  and  putting  to  the  sword  all  the  inhabitants 
they  met,  until  arriving  at  the  town  of  Guarico  (Cape 
Francais),  they  sacked  that  place,  giving  quarter  only  to 
the  women  and  children,  after  which  they  retired  to  their 
own  part  of  the  island,  leaving  the  French  in  such  a pros- 
trated condition,  that  when  the  new  Governor,  Dumas,  took 
command,  he  was  not  able  to  muster  a thousand  men 
capable  of  bearing  arms. 

It  is  probable  that  a long  time  would  have  elapsed 
^before  the  French  could  have  recovered  from  this  severe 
blow  inflicted  on  them,*  had  it  not  been  that  at  this 
juncture  the  English  forces  attacked  and  took  the  island 
of  St  Christopher  from  the  French,  owing  to  which  cir- 
cumstance some  300  persons  from  that  island  came  to 
St  Domingo,  and  settled  down  at  Cape  Francais  and  its 
vicinity,  giving  thereby  a little  new  life  and  energy  to 
those  people,  already  harassed  to  despair. 

The  Court  of  France,  in  1691,  replaced  the  dead  De 
Cussy  by  appointing  as  Governor  Du  Cosse,  who  had  pre- 
viously been  employed  in  the  French  service  at  Senegal. 
On  his  arrival  at  St  Domingo  he  found  the  colony  almost 
depopulated,  and  in  a deplorable  state,  and  the  fillibusters 
almost  extinct ; but  with  wise  administration  and  skilful 
management  he  restored  some  new  life  to  the  colony,  and 
encouraged  the  culture  of  indigo. 

In  1694,  only  two  years  after,  he  made  a descent  upon 
the  Island  of  Jamaica,  held  by  the  English,  and  carry- 
ing off  3000  slaves  from  that  island,  took  also  a great 
quantity  of  indigo. 

In  revenge  for  this  disaster  caused  by  Du  Cosse,  the 
English  Government  united  its  forces  with  Spain,  and 


88 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


together  they  sent  an  expedition  of  twenty-four  sail,  with 
4000  men,  which  rendezvoused  in  the  Bay  of  Manzanillo  on 
the  north  side  of  the  island,  where  they  were  joined  by  a 
force  of  2000  men,  that  the  Spanish  Glovernor,  Don  Fran- 
cisco Segura,  had  sent  from  the  capital  of  the  island. 

The  expedition  proceeded  first  against  Cape  Francais, 
which  it  took,  and  afterwards  to  Port  de  Paix.  Both 
these  places  were  destroyed,  the  men  being  carried  ofp 
as  prisoners  by  the  English,  while  the  Spaniards  carried 
with  them  to  St  Domingo  the  w^omen  and  children  ; the 
allies  thinking  it  better  to  retire  laden  with  booty  than 
to  await  an  attack  threatened  by  Du  Cosse,  the  Governor, 
who  had  endeavoured  to  collect  an  army  with  which  to 
resist  the  threatened  invasion  of  these  combined  forces. 

The  French  population  was  further  strengthened  by  the 
arrival  of  some  of  the  inhabitants  from  the  Island  of  St 
Croix. 


/ 


CHAPTER  VI. 


“ How  pleasant,  in  the  burning  noon  of  day 
Beneath  the  verdant  canopy  to  stray, 

Where  ranks  of  palms  their  branching  honours  spread. 
That  arch  in  Gothic  aisles  above  the  head ! ” 


The  Joint  Occupation  of  the  French  and  Spaniards — Tk^ 
Boundary  Question — Poverty  of  the  Spaniards — Advance  of  the 
French — Successful  Agriculture — Tobacco  a?id  Indigo  Culture — 
Cocoa  Trees — The  Introduction  of  the  Coffee  Plant — General 
Ii7iprovement  of  the  whole  Island— Character  of  the  Inhabitants 
— French  Luxury — Discoiitent  of  the  Planters. 


LTHOUGrH  Spain  had  at  no  time,  previous  to  the 


peace  of  Ryswick,  recognised  the  right  of  any  other 
power  to  locate  upon  St  Domingo,  it  will  be  seen  how, 
by  that  treaty,  the  French  came  to  acquire  a permanent 
hold  upon  this  island ; and  while  the  Spanish  inhabitants 
were  rapidly  decreasing  in  numbers,  and  their  settlements 
decaying,  the  French  had  prosecuted  their  opportunities 
with  such  vigour,  that  they  had  become  masters  of  the 
entire  western  portion  of  the  island. 

The  allied  powers  of  Europe  happily  having  signed,  in 
1697,  a peace  at  Ryswick,  by  which  Spain  regained  all  the 
conquests  made  from  her  by  France  since  the  treaty  ol 
Nimeguen,  and  the  right  of  France  to  occupy  and  hold  as 
her  own  territory  the  western  part  of  the  Island  of  St 
Domingo  being  conceded,  there  was,  in  the  next  few  years, 
opportunity  afforded  for  the  inhabitants  of  that  unfor- 


90 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


tunate  isle  to  improve  their  condition,  of  which  the  French, 
with  their  usual  energy,  were  not  slow  to  avail  them- 
selves ; while,  on  the  contrary,  the  Spanish  portion 
seemed  to  use  it  only  to  sink  deeper  and  deeper  into 
decay.  In  fact,  from  the  moment  the  French  Government 
succeeded  in  getting  a permanent  hold  upon  the  Island 
of  St  Domingo,  the  Spanish  authorities  appear  to  have 
lost  their  interest  in  their  share  of  the  colony,  and  nothing 
was  henceforth  done  to  assist  its  progress.  In  truth,  the 
island  was  almost  disowned  by  the  Spanish  Government ; 
and  such  had  been  the  effect  of  the  attack  of  the  pirates 
on  the  commerce  of  Spain,  that  it  was  with  extreme  diffi- 
culty that  ships  to  and  from  Mexico  and  Peru  succeeded 
in  making  their  voyages. 

In  yielding,  therefore,  in  1697,  part  of  the  Island 
of  St  Domingo  to  France,  Spain  made  no  particular 
sacrifice.  To  her  the  island  had  been,  for  many  years, 
only  a burden ; and  it  is  an  undisputed  fact,  that,  so  far 
from  this  island  yielding  any  revenue  to  the  home  Govern- 
ment, the  latter  had  been  forced  to  expend  an  annual 
sum  of  |200,000  for  some  years  in  payment  of  salaries 
and  expenses  in  keeping  this  island  to  herself,  this  amount 
being  appropriated  from  the  revenues  yielded  by  Mexico 
and  Peru. 

In  the  Spanish  territory,  such  was  the  lamentable  con- 
dition of  this  beautiful  island,  so  rich  in  every  gift  of 
Nature,  that  the  inhabitants,  say  the  chroniclers  of  the  time, 
had  not  clothes  actually  to  cover  their  nakedness,  the  women 
being  forced  to  attend  a mass  specially  celebrated  at  night, 
in  order  that  their  poverty  and  nudity  should  not  be  seen, 
they  not  daring  to  present  themselves  in  the  daytime  on 
the  streets.  Bread  was  at  an  exorbitant  price  ; and  we  may 
judge  that  these  reports  were  undoubtedly  true,  when  we 
learn  that  even  the  clergy  had  no  bread  or  wine  for  the 
sacraments,  while  the  churches  were  utterly  despoiled  of 
their  ornaments. 


EXTREME  POVERTY. 


91 


In  fact,  the  povert}^  of  this  colony  was  so  extreme, 
that  when  the  money  arrived  from  Mexico  to  pay  the 
salaries  of  the  officers  at  St  Domingo  city,  the  day 
was  made  one  of  rejoicing  and  festivity,  the  reception 
of  the  funds  being  announced  by  the  ringing  of  bells 
and  the  huzzas  of  the  people. 

So  far  from  this  condition  of  things,  in  the  Spanish 
part,  being  improved  in  the  following  years,  matters  went 
even  worse,  and  the  island  became  almost  a wilderness  : 
and  although  an  attempt  was  made  to  increase  the  popula- 
tion by  bringing  some  families  from  the  Canary  Islands, 
it  did  not  succeed,  for  as  many  inhabitants  left  St  Do- 
mingo as  had  the  means ; and  we  learn  by  the  census  of 
1730,  that  the  entire  population  of  the  island  was  reduced 
to  6000,  St  Domingo  city  itself  not  having  more  than 
500  inhabitants,  its  houses  being  closed,  and  port  and 
streets  deserted,  while  most  of  the  other  towns  became 
extinct,  leaving  only  a few  worthy  to  be  called  such.  These 
were  Cotuy,  Santiago,  Azua,  Banica,  Monte  Plata,  Baya- 
guana,  Higuey,  and  Seybo. 

The  first  French,  as  has  been  before  stated,  having 
settled  along  the  coast,  followed  the  chase  of  the  wild 
cattle  as  long  as  there  were  any  to  hunt ; but  as  they 
killed  faster  than  Nature  propagated,  it  was  not  long 
before  this  means  failed  them,  and  they  soon  began  to 
rely  upon  the  supplies  of  cattle  furnished  by  the  Spaniards. 
Tlie  chase  was  succeeded  by  the  cultivation  of  tobacco, 
which  seems  to  have  been  a favourite  labour  with  them  ; 
and  although  their  methods  of  preparing  it  were  rude  in 
the  extreme,  it  was  a source  of  great  wealth  to  the  early 
planters,  until,  becoming  disgusted  with  its  monopoly 
by  the  Government,  which  farmed  out  to  private  indi- 
viduals this  valuable  trade,  they  devoted  their  attention  to 
other  products.  It  stands  now  a curious  fact  in  connec- 
tion with  Hayti,  that  the  lands  that,  under  the  early  white 
settlers,  produced  not  only  enough  tobacco  for  their  own 


92 


SANTO  DOMINGO 


consumption,  but  as  an  important  article  of  commerce, 
lie  to-day  nncnltivated  and  unproductive,  not  from  any 
fault  of  the  soil,  but  from  the  utter  worthlessness  of  the 
present  population. 


Preparing  Tobacco. 


Under  such  a short-sighted  policy  of  the  French  Govern- 
ment, although  the  population  increased  in  numbers,  the 
colony  for  a few  years  languished,  until  revived  by  the 
cultivation  of  the  indigo  plant.  For  some  time  after  the 
discovery  of  the  island,  the  Spaniards  cultivated  a little 
indigo,  and  at  the  end  of  the  sixteenth  century  they  sent 
considerable  quantities  of  it  to  the  mother  country ; but 
on  the  decay  of  the  Spanish  part  of  the  island,  its  culture 
was  soon  abandoned,  althouirh  it  continued  to  srrov^  so 


INDIGO  PLANTATIONS, 


93 


luxuriantly  in  its  wild  state,  as  to  be  looked  upon  as  a 
mere  Aveed.  The  French,  however,  found  it  greatly  to 
their  interest  to  cultivate  it,  and  prepare  it,  though  in  a 


Preparing  Indigo. 


primitive  way,  for  the  markets  of  Europe ; and  to  the 
culture  of  this  plant  the  permanent  success  of  the  French 
on  the  island  may  be  considered  justly  due. 

Every  one  wished  to  have  negroes  and  augment  his 
lands,  and  it  Avas  at  this  time  that  one  planter  began  to 
acquire  the  land  of  another  to  augment  his  own  ])ortion. 

Now,  too,  grants  Avere  asked  for,  Avdiich  formed  Avhat  AA’as 
called  the  second  story,  or  second  line  of  tracts,  behind 
those  first  established  on  the  coast. 

The  success  of  the  indigo,  the  increase  of  the  po])ula- 
tion,  and  of  the  number  of  negroes  produced  by  those 
brought  by  Du  Casse  from  his  raid  on  Jamaica,  gave  the 
first  idea  of  establishing  sugar  })lantations.  These  gave 

a ncAv  value  to  the  lands  ; and  requiring  larger  tracts  than 
9 


94 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


the  indigo  plantations,  several  small  ones  were  united,  and 
became  the  property  of  one  person. 

He  who  had  sold  his  lot  on  the  coast,  carried  his 
industry  to  the  second,  third,  or  fourth  line,  and  succes- 
sively towards  the  interior  of  the  colony;  and  thus  the 
whole  country  gradually  came  under  cultivation  with  a 
•large  population.  The  only  thing  not  keeping  pace  with 
this  progress  being  the  cattle,  for  the  French  never  seem 
to  have  paid  much  attention  to  cattle-raising,  although 
encouraged  to  do  so  by  the  Government,  so  that,  as  this 
means  of  subsistence  decreased,  they  became  more  and  more 
dependent  upon  their  Spanish  neighbours,  who,  seeming  to 
have  a natural  aptitude  for  this  business,  had  established 
hatos  ” or  grazing  farms  all  over  their  part  of  the  island  ; 
in  fact,  with  one  exception,  this  was  their  only  occupation. 

This  exception  was  the  cultivation  of  the  cocoa  or  choco- 
late plant,  which  was  a native  of  the  Spanish  part  of  the 
island,  and  is  said,  at  one  time,  to  have  produced  in  value 
as  much  as  the  mines  of  the  island.  In  fact,  in  the  six- 
teenth century,  there  was  no  other  cocoa  known  except  St 
Domingo  cocoa,  and  Spain  was  entirely  provided  with  it 
from  this  island  alone. 

^The  French,  led  by  the  example  of  their  Governor, 
D’Ogeron,  who,  in  1665,  had  planted  the  first  tree  on  the 
French  part,  had  created  a considerable  revenue  by  the 
cultivation  of  this  plant,  the  plantations  of  which  had 
increased  in  every  direction,  particularly  in  the  narrow 
valleys  to  the  west  of  the  island,  where,  it  is  stated,  in 
some  of  the  places  there  were  not  less  than  20,000  trees. 

Up  to  1716  this  product  flourished  amazingly,  when, 
in  that  year,  for  no  known  reason,  the  entire  stock  of 
trees  failed  to  produce,  and  went  to  decay;  and  it  was 
not  until  1736  they  were  again  cultivated,  when  they 
flourished  extremely  well,  many  of  them  reaching  a height 
of  thirty  feet. 

The  cocoa  of  St  Domingo  has  been  always  considered 


FINE  ESTATES. 


95 


as  more  acidulated  than  that  of  the  celebrated  Caraccas, 
to  which  it  is  not  inferior,  and  experience  has  proved 
that  a mixture  of  the  two  gives  a more  delicate  flavour 
than  that  possessed  by  either  alone. 

So  rapidly  had  the  fortunes  of  some  of  the  early  planters 
been  made,  that  we  And  that  in  1715-17,  many  of  them, 
with  a view  of  enjoying  their  means,  gained,  in  many  cases, 
after  long  years  of  toil  and  absence  from  their  native 
country,  returned  to  France,  carrying  with  them  their 
means,  invested  in  the  securities  of  the  Mississippi  Com- 
pany. Unfortunately  they  proved  worthless,  and  many  of 
these  planters  were  forced  to  return  to  St  Domingo,  and 
begin  life  anew. 

Others,  however,  satisfled  to  remain  on  the  island  and 
'continue  their  agricultural  labour,  had  created  for  them- 
selves fine  estates,  either  for  the  growth  of  sugar,  cocoa,  or 


Old  French  Sugar  Mill 


indigo  ; and  although  the  machinery  for  the  manufacture 
of  the  former  product  would  be  considered  rude  in  com- 
parison with  the  superb  appliances  that  steam  machinery 


'96 


SAJVTO  DOMINGO, 


has  called  into  existence,  and  which  are  seen  in  perfection 
to-day  on  the  sugar  estates  of  Cuba,  yet  the  buildings  on 
many  of  these  places  were  erected  with  not  only  an  eye  to 
comfort  and  stability,  but  to  beauty  also.  None  of  these 
places  are  to-day  to  be  seen  intact ; but  from  the  authorities 
of  the  time  we  get  illustrations  of  what  they  were. 

In  1720,  a permission,  originally  granted  to  the  West 
India  Company,  and  then  revoked,  to  bring  out  negroes 
from  Guinea,  was  renewed,  giving  them  exclusive  privilege, 
in  accordance  with  their  offers,  to  carry  to  American  islands, 
3000  negroes  per  annum. 

In  its  list  of  members,  it  is  stated,  this  company  had 
the  names  of  those  most  distinguished  in  France,  in  the 
army,  navy,  law,  or  finance ; and  the  effect  at  first  in  the 
colony  was,  that  every  one  prepared  to  increase  his  extent 
of  land,  hoping  to  secure  some  of  this  imported  labour  to 
work  it. 

The  colonists,  however,  becoming  dissatisfied  with  this 
privilege,  which  allowed  the  company  to  exact  such  exorbi- 
tant prices  for  the  negroes  as  it  chose,  and  having  in 
remembrance  the  sad  effects  of  the  Mississippi  Company, 
rose  up  in  open  hostility  to  it,  insomuch,  that  when  the 
agents  of  the  company  arrived,  the  colonists  burned  the 
warehouses,  shouting,  “ Long  live  the  King,  but  no  com- 
. pany.” 

While  protesting  their  fidelity  to  the  King,  they  went 
so  far,  however,  as  to  arrest  his  Governor,  Sorel ; and  a 
general  uprising  and  discontent  was  inaugurated,  which 
was  not  finally  allayed  until  1728,  when  the  privileges  of 
the  company  ceased,  and  quiet  was  entirely  restored. 

The  whole  secret  of  this  trouble  appears  to  have  been, 
that  at  this  time  great  scarcity  of  negroes  existed  in  pro- 
portion to  the  number  of  acres  divided  among  the  individual 
planters  ; and  as  their  riches  would  be  most  assuredly  added 
to  by  increasing  the  number  of  slaves  on  each  plantation, 
the  planters  wished  to  have  the  privilege  of  bringing  in,  on' 


THE  COFFEE-PLANT. 


97 


individual  account,  as  many  negroes  as  they  desired,  as  they 
claimed  the  company  took  all  the  profit  of  the  trade,  and 
none  of  its  risks,  since  the  planter  had  to  bear  the  loss  of 
the  slaves  if  they  died  in  the  process  of  being  acclimated. 

Land  being  so  plentiful,  it  was  granted  out  on  certain 
restrictions  for  a merely  nominal  sum,  and  success  then 
depended  upon  the  number  of  slaves  that  could  be  obtained 
to  clear  and  cultivate  this  land. 

The  slave  population  at  this  time  amounted  to  42,895 
negroes,  for  some  of  which  the  West  India  Company  were 
yet  unpaid,  the  planters  having  suffered  severely  from  the 
drought  that  prevailed  in  1 726. 

Two  young  coffee-trees  had  been  given  to  Louis  the 
Fourteenth,  by  the  Hollander  Pancras,  superintendent  of 
the  G-arden  of  Plants  at  Amsterdam.  Some  years  after 
they  were  transported  to  Martinique  by  Desclieux ; there 
these  trees  succeeded  admirably,  and  a short  time  after- 
wards they  transported  numerous  shoots  to  St  Domingo, 
which  propagated  with  an  astonishing  rapidity,  and  from 
St  Domingo  the  coffee-plant  spread  to  all  the  other  West 
Indies. 

In  1732,  by  an  order  that  seems  now  very  strange,  the 
French  Government  prohibited,  in  St  Domingo,  the  cul- 
tivation of  the  coffee-tree,  on  the  plea  that  its  inhabitants, 
having  slave  labour,  could  cultivate  other  products  with 
profit,  while  the  small  planter  of  some  of  the  other  French 
islands  had  his  existence  depending  upon  this  culture 
alone,  as  being  adapted  to  white  labour.  Perhaps  had 
this  order  not  been  issued,  the  planter  of  St  Domingo 
would  not  have  been  so  dependent  on  the  slave  labour, 
which  was  the  final  cause  of  the  loss  of  the  colony  to 
France;  the  restriction  was,  however,  taken  off  in  1735, 
when  cocoa  planting  was  also  encouraged. 

With  all  these  materials  of  success,  the  French  colony, 
notwithstanding  the  few  drawbacks  above  mentioned, 
made  the  most  astonisliing  progress  in  prosperity  up  to 


98 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


the  period  of  the  French  Revolution,  and  its  history  in 
this  time  presents  some  curious  and  interesting  facts.  One 
of  the  native  writers,  speaking  of  the  period  1737,  says,  “ At 
this  epoch  of  its  greatest  splendour,  no  spectacle  more 
magnificent  needs  to  be  seen  than  the  state  of  cultivation 
on  this  queen  of  the  Antilles.  Nature  appeared  to  smile 
upon  the  laborious  efforts  of  an  active  population  wresting 
from  this  most  fertile  soil  the  most  immense  riches.” 


Old  French  Plantation. 


Rut  the  philanthropist  trembled  at  that  rapid  prosperity 
which  was  due  to  the  forgetfulness  of  the  most  precious 
rights  of  man,  in  supporting  amongst  themselves  a mere 
handful  of  planters.  As  luxurious  as  Asiatics,  they  had 
became  hardened  in  their  hearts ; and  the  poor  slave  who 
made  their  riches  was  looked  upon  and  treated  as  no  better 
than  a beast  of  burden. 

It  was  not  in  the  nature  of  things  that  the  French 
should  make  such  rapid  progress,  without  a people  so  near 
to  them  as  the  Spaniards  deriving  some  benefit  from  the 
trade  that  quickly  sprung  up  in  the  peaceable  intervals  of  the 
petty  quarrels  concerning  boundaries. 


SPANISH  PROGRESS. 


99 


Fortunately,  too,  for  the  Spanish  part,  a Governor  had 
been  appointed  who  displayed  great  energy  and  intelli- 
gence in  improving  that  hitherto  neglected  colony.  This 
was  Don  Pedro  Zorrillo,  appointed  in  1737  to  the  entire 
command  of  that  part. 

The  Spaniards  were  already  addicted  to  contraband  trad- 
ing, when  the  war  between  Spain  and  England  breaking 
out  in  1740,  gave  a new  impetus  to  this  trade,  which  rapidly 
assumed  the  form  of  privateering  upon  the  English  com- 
merce between  North  America  and  England. 

Following  this  was  the  wise  and  independent  policy  of 
the  Spanish  Governor,  in  throwing  open  the  ports  of  St 
Domingo  to  the  trade  of  neutral  nations,  of  which  advan- 
tage the  Dutch  and  Danes  particularly  availed  themselves. 

The  result  was  quickly  seen  in  the  rapid  disappearance 
of  the  misery  of  that  part  of  the  island,  and  the  new  life 
given  to  agriculture,  which,  with  the  export  of  the  native 
products,  gave  a new  circulation  to  money. 

A large  increase  of  population  took  place  with  the  increase 
of  trade,  and  with  the  newcomers  came  such  supplies  of 
merchandise,  that  necessary  articles  were  no  longer  beyond 
the  reach  of  purchase  of  the  inhabitants.  New  attempts, 
in  1747,  were  also  made  to  open  up  the  mines,  and  this 
was  not  confined  to  the  working  of  the  old  mines  merely, 
but  also  to  those  of  copper,  iron,  &c.,  though  no  positive 
results  appear  to  have  been  achieved. 

In  1751  the  Spanish  part  suffered  also  from  a terrible 
earthquake,  that  did  an  immense  amount  of  damage, 
destroying  entirely  the  old  town  of  Azua ; while  in  the 
same  year  the  Ozama,  during  a heavy  freshet,  rose  to  such 
a height  as  to  wash  the  very  walls  of  St  Domingo  city, 
causing  much  damage. 

The  people,  however,  of  the  island,  seem  to  have  become 
so  habituated  to  these  destructive  affairs,  that  they  never 
entirely  despaired  of  seeing  their  island  in  an  improved 
state;  and  we  learn  that,  in  1756,  Monte  Cristo,  a flourish- 


100 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


ing  town  on  the  north  coast,  one  of  those  towns  which 
had  been  destroyed  by  order  of  the  Government  in  1606, 
was  again  revived  as  the  port  for  the  embarkation  of  the 
products  of  the  great  Cibao  region,  of  which  La  Vega  and 
Santiago  were  then  the  principal  towns. 

A large  number  of  families  from  the  Canary  Islands 
increased  its  population ; while  it  was  declared  a neutral 
port,  a step  that  benefited  the  whole  island ; for  the  French 
and  English  being  at  war,  the  prizes  gained  by  the  priva- 
teers of  those  respective  nations  were  brought  in  there,  and 
an  active  commerce  was  the  result.  Many  strangers  flocked 
to  the  island ; others,  gaining  riches,  settled  down  to  agri- 
cultural pursuits,  and  poor  devastated  St  Domingo  again 
looked  up.  Tills  progress  in  the  Spanish  part  was  assisted 
too  by  the  war  that  broke  out  in  1762  between  England 
and  her  ally  Portugal  against  France,  Spain,  and  Naples ; 
for  the  Dominican  Spaniards  hastened  to  resort  to  a 
calling  with  which  they  were  by  this  time  well  familiarised, 
and  their  privateers  soon  waged  injurious  war  upon  the 
commerce  of  the  English  in  the  West  Indian  waters,  the 
prizes  they  took  being  carried  to  St  Domingo,  where  the 
cargoes  were  sold  to  the  inhabitants,  or  to  the  foreign 
merchants  doing  business  there.  The  slave  population  of 
the  Spanish  part  by  this  means  was  also  much  increased,  as 
many  prisoners  were  taken  from  the  slavers  in  those  waters. 

With  the  increase  of  commerce,  a large  trade  sprung 
up  in  the  cattle  of  the  island,  particularly  with  the  French, 
who  were  now  constantly  in  need,  for  food  and  labouring 
purposes,  of  the  cattle,  horses,  and  mules  with  which  the 
Spanish  part  was  immensely  stocked. 

Many  new  towns  were  founded,  and,  their  population 
increasing,  became  permanently  established ; among  these 
were  Bani,  Caobas,  San  Miguel,  and  others,  some  of  which 
are  to-day  extinct. 

Peace  having  been  declared  between  the  European 
powers,  Charles  the  Tliird  in  1765  made  an  immense  step 


TREATY  OF  ARAXJUEZ. 


101 


forward,  benefiting  his  colonies  in  opening  their  ports  to 
a more  liberal  and  general  commerce,  and  removing  the 
restriction  which  confined  the  ports  of  Spain  to  Cadiz 
and  Seville  alone.  In  this  benefit  St  Domingo  shared,  as 
well  as  her  sister  isle  of  Cuba;  and  prosperous  as  has  been 
the  latter  in  our  day,  in  the  middle  of  the  eighteenth  century 
she  was  as  backward  as  St  Domingo;  for  in  1730  the  entire 
population  of  Cuba  did  not  amount  to  120,000  souls,  while 
the  capital  city,  Havana,  contained  not  over  500  families. 

Up  to  1776  innumerable  had  been  the  disputes  be- 
tween the  two  nationalities  as  to  the  boundary  line  that 
should  mark  the  extent  of  the  frontier  between  French 
and  Spanish  St  Domingo ; and  though  no  regular  agree- 
ment seems  ever  to  have  been  ratified,  yet,  by  tacit  con- 
sent, a boundary  defined  by  the  river  Hebouc  (now  Guayu- 
bin),  commencing  near  Isabella,  and  extending  in  an  in- 
direct line  to  the  south  side  of  the  island,  in  the  vicinity 
of  Petit  Goave,  was  observed  by  both  sides,  the  country 
west  of  this  being  held  by  the  French. 

Many  quarrels  had  nevertheless  taken  place,  and  much 
blood  was  shed,  and  bad  feeling  engendered ; but,  strange 
to  say,  the  Spaniards,  though  the  weaker  party,  managed 
to  increase  the  extent  of  their  boundaries. 

At  last,  however,  an  act  was  about  to  be  done  that 
seemed  calculated  to  bring  peace  and  quiet  to  both  parts 
of  the  island,  and  to  make  amends  for  some  of  the  misfor- 
tunes that  had  afflicted  it.  The  boundary  division  of  the 
two  powers  was  to  be  finally  adjusted.  On  the  29th  Feb- 
ruary a treaty  was  signed  at  Atalaya,  between  the  Brigadier 
Don  Jose  Solano  y Bote,  Governor  of  the  Spanish  part,  and 
Count  Ennery,  Governor  of  the  French  part,  fixing,  as 
plenipotentiaries  of  the  two  Governments,  the  permanent 
boundary,  the  which  was  marked  out  by  an  officer  appointed 
by  each  party  by  fixing  landmarks,  some  of  which  are 
said  to  be  in  existence  to-day. 

This  treaty  was  ratified  by  the  respective  home  Govern- 


102 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


ments  at  Aranjuez.  June  3,  1777,  and  distinctly  stated  the 
boundary  as  beginning  at  the  mouth  of  the  river  Massacre 
(Dajahon)  on  the  north  coast,  and  terminating  at  the  mouth 
of  the  Pedernales  on  the  south  coast,  the  dividing  line  being 
very  irregular  in  its  direction,  but  being  marked  at  dif- 
ferent intervals  by  stone  pyramids,  numbered  from  1 to 
221,  upon  which  were  cut  the  words  France,”  “ EspaSa.” 
As  this  treaty  has  become  of  considerable  importance  in  Do- 
minican and  Haytian  affairs,  the  reader  will  find  it  in  full 
in  the  Appendix.  In  honour  of  this  treaty,  Charles  the 
Third  declared  free  the  commerce  between  the  two  parts  of 
the  island,  a first-fruit  of  peace  by  which  the  Spaniards 
profited  much,  since  they  only  had  cattle  to  give  in  ex- 
change for  the  abundant  stores  of  merchandise  of  every 
variety  with  which  the  French  were  well  supplied. 

Charles  the  Third  also  abolished,  in  1778,  the  monopoly 
of  the  Casa  de  Contracion  ” of  Seville,  by  which  the  ports 
of  St  Domingo  city  and  Monte  Cristo  profited  very  much  ; 
and  from  this  period  the  Spanish  part  appears  to  have  made 
considerable  progress,  though  not  by  any  means  to  compare 
with  the  French. 

Dajahon,  a new  town,  was  established,  and  rapidly 
sprung  into  importance  as  a trading  place  on  the  frontier. 
St  Domingo  city,  which  had  been  almost  in  ruins  a few 
years  back,  was  rebuilt.  San  Juan,  Banica,  Santiago,  and 
Azua  had  recovered  from  the  effects  of  the  earthquake 
of  1751;  while  Samana,  Savana  la  Mar,  and  Puerto  Plata 
were  all  well  established  and  in  a fiourishing  condition. 

•By  the  various  causes  above  mentioned,  the  population 
had  been  materially  increased  ; and  an  immense  number  of 
fugitive  slaves  sought  refuge  in  the  Spanish  part  from 
the  terrors  of  French  slavery,  and  settling  down  to  agri- 
culture, they  soon  became  an  element  in  the  population 
which  had  by  this  time  become  well  mixed. 

It  is  a conceded  and  curious  fact,  that  while  the  early 
Spaniards  of  St  Domingo  had  been  the  severest  of  task- 


SLAVE  LAWS. 


103 


masters  to  their  negro  slaves,  as  time  wore  on  they  seem, 
for  some  reason  or  other,  to  have  lost  this  habit,  and  their 
slaves  were  infinitely  much  better  treated  than  those  of  the 
French.  This  may  partly  be  accounted  for  from  the  fact  that 
population  became  so  reduced  in  the  island  at  one  time,  that 
master  and  slave  relied  upon  each  other  for  company  and  sup- 
port, and  the  chains  were  in  this  way  gradually  lightened. 

The  actual  slave  laws  of  the  Spaniards  were  in  fact 
rather  mild  in  their  character,  and  even  more  lenient  in 
some  respects  than  those  of  the  celebrated  Code  Noir. 
All  their  laws  had  for  their  object  the  facilitating  the 
freedom  of  the  slave  who  could  ransom  himself  by  reim- 
bursing his  master  for  his  original  outlay ; for  not  only  was 
the  master  compelled  to  receive  instalments  on  account  of 
the  desired-  freedom  of  the  slave,  but  the  law  fixed  a 
maximum  price  at  which  that  liberty  should  be  purchased, 
and  which  price  being  offered,  the  master  was  compelled  to 
accept.  Other  articles  there  were,  which,  if  strictly  en- 
forced, would  serve  to  lighten  the  bonds  of  the  slave  very 
much.  This  facility  of  freedom  had  rendered  it  easy  for  the 
blacks  of  Spanish  St  Domingo  to  secure  their  liberty,  of 
which  they  freely  availed  themselves,  to  such  an  extent, 
that  at  one  time,  of  a population  amounting  to  125,000  in 
that  part  of  the  island,  110,000  were  freemen.  It  must 
however  be  remembered,  that  large  numbers  of  slaves 
jescaped  from  the  French  and  became  free  Spanish  subjects, 
^’^t  is  also  a notorious  fact  that  the  Spaniards  never 
seem  to  have  had  the  same  stringent  laws  against  their 
intermarrying  with  the  negroes  that  the  French  had.  In 
fact,  I find  some  old  authors  alluding  to  this  by  sarcas- 
tically saying,  “ That  the  Spaniards  appeared  to  be  much 
more  fond  of  their  dusky  female  slaves,  or  Indian  neigh- 
bours, than  they  were  of  their  lighter-coloured  spouses  ; and 
though  many  had  left  legitimate  wives  in  Spain,  they 
appeared  not  at  all  reluctant  to  take  temporary  ones  from 
such  dusky  maidens  as  were  nothing  loth.” 


104 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


The  effects  of  this  loose  system  was  soon  seen  in  the 
mixed  character  of  population,  which,  gradually  extend- 
ing itself  as  time  wore  on,  has  left  its  imprint  on  the 
.present  population  of  the  island,  where  it  is  sometimes 
hard  to  tell  where  the  white  begins  or  the  black  leaves  off. 

Nearly  the  same  terms  came  to  be  applied  to  this  popula- 
tion as  in  the  French  part,  though,  from  their  Spanish 
names,  they  appear  to  be  different.  The  pure  Spaniards 
coming  to  the  colonies  to  seek  their  fortunes  were  known 
as  ‘‘  chapetones,”  just  as  they  are  called  to-day  in  Cuba 
“ Peninsulars.”  The  mulattoes  were  at  first  known  more 
particularly  as  the  descendants  of  Europeans  and  negroes, 
just  as  mestizoes  ” meant  European  and  Indian ; but 
these  distinctions  are  hardly  to-day  noted. 

If  about  the  only  data  available  is  accepted  of  the 
increase  of  this  population — that  given  in  the  census  of 
the  parish  priests,  taken  in  1785 — the  augmentation  in 
five  years  is  trulj^  remarkable ; for  by  it  we  learn  this 
amounted  in  that  time  to  35,350  souls,  19,350  being  free, 
and  16,000  slaves,  making  an  aggregate  population  of 
152,640;  a very  rapid  increase  indeed,  if  we  refer  back  to 
the  year  1730,  when  the  whole  population  amounted  to  but 
6000  souls. 

It  perhaps  only  shows,  however,  of  what  this  island  is 
capable  under  proper  government,  and  protection  to  set- 
tlers, with  the  right  kind  of  inducements  to  emigrants. 

It  is  a curious  fact  to  be  noted  in  the  history  of  Spanish 
St  Domingo,  that  no  sooner  does  its  condition  promise 
a speedy  advance  in  wealth,  population,  and  civilisation, 
than  some  unforeseen  event  takes  place  that  throws  the 
island  as  much  further  backward  as  it  has  advanced ; and 
this  proves  now  to  be  the  case ; for  the  great  change  that 
took  place  in  the  French  part  soon  drew  the  Spanish  part 
into  that  vortex  of  insurrection,  massacre,  bloodshed, 
and  horrible  civil  war,  and  this  too  without  there 'being 
perhaps  the  slightest  similarity  in  the  condition  of  the 


FKENGH  PROSFERITY. 


105 


affairs  of  the  two  parts ; for  the  one  was  just  making  a 
feeble  effort  to  progress  from  its  }^ears  of  lethargic  misery, 
while  the  other,  perhaps  spoiled  and  demoralised  by  its 
rapid  increase  in  wealth  and  importance,  was  bringing 
upon  itself,  by  its  pride,  luxury,  and  cruelties,  a day  of 
reckoning  that  will  never  be  forgotten  as  long  as  history 
shall  be  read. 

Some  idea  of  the  great  state  of  prosperity  at  which 
the  French  had  arrived  may  be  gained  from  a condensed 
statement  of  the  condition  of  the  different  interests  in 
successful  operation  in  the  year  1754,  and  these  were 
estimated  to  be,  in  the  commodities  of  the  island,  of  the 
value  of  |6, 250,000  (£1,250,000),  and  the  imports  to 
£1,777,500  ($8,887,500).  There  were  14,000  white  in- 
habitants only,  4000  free  mulattoes,  and  172,000  negroes. 

The  sugar  plantations  numbered  599,  while  the  indigo 
places  amounted  to  3379.  The  cocoa-trees,  after  being 
once  entirely  destroyed,  had  reached  the  immense  number 
of  98,946.  The  cotton,  which  in  the  Island  of  St  Domingo 
assumes  more  the  form  of  a tree,  numbered  6,300,637 
plants ; while  of  the  banana,  cassava,  potato,  and  yam, 
under  cultivation  for  supplying  the  means  of  subsistence, 
the  amount  grown  was  enormous. 

Although  the  French  never  professed  to  pay  much 
attention  to  cattle  or  stock  raising,  yet  even  those  had 
grown  to  what  seems  an  immense  number,  for  we  learn 
there  were  on  the  French  part  63,000  horses  and  mules, 
and  93,000  head  of  horned  cattle. 

From  this  period  up  to  the  time  of  the  Revolution  in 
France,  these  figures  were  steadily  increased ; so  that  com- 
puting the  limited  number  comparatively  of  the  white  in- 
habitants,  some  idea  may  be  obtained  of  the  unequal 
manner,  in  which  the  wealth  and  the  riches  of  the  island 
were  apportioned.  This  was  about  the  condition  of  affairs 
when,  in  1776,  the  boundary  was  finally  fixed  between  the 
two  parts  of  the  island.  It  may  be  well  now  to  give  a 


106 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


glance  at  the  character  of  the  population  that  formed  this 


wonderful  French  settlement  of  the  New  World. 

In  the  early  history  of  the  French  colonisation,  the 
prejudice  of  caste  was  unknown  on  the  Island  of  St 
Domingo ; for  the  buccaneer  or  freebooter  made  very  little 
distinction  between  the  negro  and  the  European  engage, 
so  long  as  the  latter  was  in  bonds ; but  gradually  the 
engages  worked  out  their  time,  which  was  usually  three 
years,  and  became,  by  economy  and  labour,  equal  to  other 
whites ; and  as  the  engages  eventually  were  prohibited 
being  brought  out  from  Europe  on  account  of  the  intro- 
duction of  slaves,  they  ceased  to  exist  as  a class. 

The  blacks,  born  under  a hot  sun,  supported  better  the 
labour  of  the  tropical  fields  than  the  whites,  and  finally, 
the  former  were  the  only  class  of  servants  remaining 
attached  to  the  plantations,  the  whites  confining  them- 
selves to  the  towns,  and  pursuing  trade  or  commerce. 

The  whites  were  composed  of  those  originally  settled  on  the 
island,  having  been  born  in  Europe ; and  to  their  offspring 
was  given  the  name  creole,”  meaning  the  children  of  Euro- 
pean parents  born  on  the  island,  a name  that  has  come  into 
general  use,  as  signifying  the  native  white  inhabitants  of  any 
particular  place,  though  applied  for  many  years  to  the  West 
Indies  exclusively.  Also  in  the  towns  were  a large  number 
of  European  French,  who  came  out  to  enter  into  business 
as  merchants,  shopkeepers,  and  tradesmen,  all  alike,  how- 
ever, in  their  desire  to  accumulate  fortunes  rapidly,  with 

which  to  return  to  Eurone. 

±. 

The  Creole  soon  became  an  important  element  in  the 
population,  and  the  effects  of  climate  in  those  regions  are 
such,  that  they  became  as  they  are  to-day — a special  type,, 
being  usually  well  made,  of  good  height  and  regular  figure, 
but  not  having  that  rich  complexion  peculiar  to  the  Saxon 
race.  The  temperature  of  their  climate  is  such,  that  they 
acquire  a wonderful  agility  and  easy  suppleness  of  frame. 

St  Mery  describes  the  early  French  Creoles  as  a pas- 


CREOLE  WOMEN. 


107 


sionate,  liigh-spirited  race,  with  a natural  impatience  that 
would  not  permit  of  their  making  even  their  journeys  in 
an  ordinary  manner ; and  as  the  roads  had  been  put  in 
good  order,  they  either  rode  or  were  whirled  along  at  the 
rate  of  four  leagues  an  hour. 

The  Creole  women  were  endowed  with  lovely  figures, 
beautiful  eyes,  types  yet  visible  to-day ; he  relates,  however,  ♦ 
that  these  angels,  with  demoniacal  fury,  stood  by  and  saw 
their  female  attendants  punished  in  such  a manner  as 
would  move,  one  would  think,  a heart  of  stone  to  pity. 

There  can  be  now  no  dispute  as  to  the- actual  demoralisa- 
tion of  a large  part  of  the  people  of  French  St  Domingo  ; for 
the  facts  are  on  record  by  numerous  impartial  authorities, 
principally  spectators  or  actors  in  the  state  of  affairs  they 
describe.  In  1760,  some  idea  of  the  state  of  things 
existing  may  be  learned  from  the  report  of  a commissioner 
sent  out  from  France  by  the  Government  to  learn  the 
cause  of  so  many  deaths  by  poison,  which  had  become  so 
frequent  as  to  assume  the  form  of  an  epidemic, — an  extract 
from  which  shows  in  forcible  terms  some  of  the  habits  of 
the  planters : — 

It  arises  from  the  too  intimate  intercourse  of  the  whites 
and  the  blacks  ; the  criminal  intercom'se  that  the  most  of 
the  masters  have  with  their  women  slaves,  is  the  origin  of 
this  attack.  A legitimate  wife,  seeing  the  intercourse  of 
her  husband  with  her  servant,  in  the  absence  of  the  hus- 
band has  her  punished  severely.  If  the  master  is  not 
married,  and  that  is  mostly  the  case  (marriage  not  being 
popular,  and  libertinage  more  tolerated),  the  inconstancy 
natural  to  the  men  of  this  climate  makes  them  change  or 
multiply  their  concubines,  from  whence  arise  innumerable 
jealousies  and  distinctions  ; and  in  the  first,  as  in  the  second 
case,  are  the  causes  of  the  taking  vengeance  now  upon  the 
fortunes  of  the  master,  in  poisoning  his  negroes,  or  taking 
his  life,  or  that  of  his  wife,  or  even  their  children.” 

Up  to  1763,  it  had  been  permitted  that  masters  might 


108 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


bring  into  France  with  them  their  black  servants ; and 
many  of  the  planters,  being  enormously  rich,  had  large 
retinues  of  servants  with  them  in  Paris,  where  they  lived 
in  the  most  sumptuous  manner,  making  great  display  of 
their  wealth,  insomuch  that  the  expression  at  Paris  became 
common,  ^‘rich  as  a Creole.”  Many  of  those  who  lived 
on  their  estates  on  the  island  lived  the  life  of  perfect 
sybarites,  indulging  in  every  luxury. 

The  plains  of  the  north  and  of  the  Cul-de-sac  were 
crossed  in  every  direction  with  spacious  roads.  The  plains 
and  the  hills  were  covered  with  rich  habitations,  and  with 
a white  population  numerous  and  happy.  Fields  of  cane 
stretched  out  in  every  direction,  with  their  boundaries  marked 
by  green  and  well-trimmed  hedges.  Manj^  of  the  houses  of 
the  country  were  surrounded  by  terraces,  upon  which  thou- 
sands of  flowers  of  every  tint  and  colour  heightened  the  view. 

In  the  cofiee-places  long  avenues  of  graceful  palms 
gave  shady  approach  to  entrances  of  solid  stone  and  iron, 
while  fountains  and  stone  swimming-baths  served  to  cool 
the  air,  as  well  as  alford  pastime  to  the  planters  and  their 
families,  many  of  whom  spent  half  the  j^ear  in  Paris,  the 
other,  or  winter  half,  being  passed  in  what  it  is  said  were 
the  most  beautiful  homes  in  the  world. 

The  planters  were  only  able  to  increase  their  labour 
by  importations  of  negroes  from  Africa,  and  therefore 
were  habituated  to  look  upon  the  blacks  and  mulattoes 
as  so  much  human  cattle,  treating  them  in  many  cases 
with  disdain  and  brutality,  while  the  latter,  awed  by  the 
superior  education  and  position  of  the  whites,  looked  upon 
them  with  fear.  But  from  the  nature  of  things,  in  due 
time  there  were  other  relations  sprang  up  between  the 
whites  and  blacks  than  those  of  master  and  slave. 

As  early  as  1685,  when  Louis  XIV.  published  the  Code 
Noir,  it  was  seen  that  great  irregularities  had  sprang  up 
between  white  masters,  who  had  the  power  of  life  and 
death,  and  their  female  slaves,  and  in  order  if  possible  to 


1 


MULATTOES. 


109 


prevent  these,  many  articles,  now  curious  in  their  character, 
were  inserted;  such,  for  instance,  as  the  fining  of  a white  two 
thousand  pounds  of  sugar  who  should  have  children  by 
his  slaves.  If  a white  debauched  a slave,  the  woman  and 
her  children  were  to  he  sold  for  the  benefit  of  the  hospital, 
without  ever  having  the  power  to  be  repurchased. 

Notwithstanding  these  apparently  stringent  laws,  this 
intercourse  became  so  great,  that  it  was  not  many  years 
before  another  race  of  beings  had  sprung  up.  All  through 
the  colony,  the  connection  between  the  white  and  black 
resulted  in  the  race  of  the  mulattoes,  and  eventually 
from  the  intercourse  of  these  again  with  the  whites  or 
among  themselves,  innumerable  shades  of  colour  sprang 
up,  giving  rise  to  the  distinctions,  as  we  know  them,  ol 
octoroons,  quadroons,  &c.,  and  of  which  St  Mery  in  his 
work  gives  a list  that  is  tedious  in  its  numerous  details 
of  the  ramifications  resulting  from  this  intercourse.  To 
all  these  people,  regular  or  irregular  in  birth,  light  or  dark 
in  colour,  were  given  the  various  names  of  people  ot 
colour,”  sang  melee,”  or  mulattoes.” 

From  this  class  also  sprang  another,  one  which,  from 
the  force  of  circumstances,  eventually  became  of  the  great- 
est importance  in  bringing  about  the  freedom  of  the 
negroes  of  St  Domingo.  This  class  was  known  as  the 
“ atfranchis,”  or  freedmen,  being,  in  fact,  the  entire 
people  of  colour  who  were  their  own  masters,  and  not 
slaves ; — a class  that  had,  in  a long  number  of  years,  been 
produced  by  slaves  buying  their  liberty,  by  planters  freeing 
their  illegitimate  children,  and  by  irregular  marriages  of 
black  and  white,  which,  though  forbidden  by  law,  were 
yet  sometimes  contracted. 

The  men  of  colour,  though  free  as  far  as  their  personal 
' service  to  individuals  was  concerned,  were  yet  considered 
^as  the  property  of  the  public;  and,  as  public  property, 
they  were  subject  to  the  caprice  and  tyranny  of  all  those 
whom  the  accident  of  birth  had  placed  above  them. 


110 


■ SANTO  DOMINGO. 


By  the  Colonial  Government  they  were  treated,  how- 
ever, as.  slaves,  being  compelled,  on  reaching  the  age  of 
manhood,  to  serve  for  three  years  in  a military  establish- 
ment, called  the  Mare  Chaussee.  This  consisted  of  a 
certain  number  of  companies  of  infantry,  which  were 
chiefly  employed  as  rangers  in  clearing  the  woods  of 
marons,”  as  runaway  slaves  were  called ; and  though 
this  organisation  was  eventually  broken  up,  from  the 
fear  that  arose  that  it  afforded  the  people  of  colour  a 
means  of  knowing  their  own  strength,  and  of  holding 
general  communication  with  each  other  throughout  the 
island,  it  was  long  enough  in  existence  to  have  that  very 
effect. 

Upon  the  expiration  of  their  terms  of  service  in  the 
Mare  Chaussee.^  the  mulattoes  were  also  subject  to  the 
work  of  the  corvees.,  a species  of  labour  allotted  for  the 
repair  of  the  highways,  the  hardships  of  which  nearly 
all  authorities  agree  in  describing  as  terrible. 

Although  they  rendered  all  their  military  service  in  the 
militia  of  their  particular  province  without  pay  or  allow- 
ance, being  in  fact  compelled  to  provide  their  own  arms 
and  accoutrements,  they  were  nevertheless  entirely  deprived 
of  any  power  to  hold  public  office  or  employment,  and  were 
entirely  debarred  from  all  manner  of  liberal  professions,  and 
even  the  taint  of  blood  spread  to  the  latest  posterity,  so 
that  no  white  man  of  any  character  ever  thought  of  marriage 
with  them.  In  the  courts  of  justice,  also,  there  was  one 
justice  for  the  white  man  and  another  for  the  coloured. 

There  were,  however,  many  exceptions;  for  many  of  the 
people  of  colour  had  acquired  lands  and  become  rich ; and 
these,  by  secretly  buying  the  metropolitan  agents,  enjoyed 
peace  and  tranquillity,  and  received  favours. 

Of  the  horrible  cruelties  practised  upon  the  lowest  class 
of  the  inhabitants — the  negroes  held  in  slavery — by  their 
white  masters,  I shall  in  these  pages  give  no  details.  They 
would  fill  volumes,  and  are  to  be  found  in  the  pages  of 


CREOLE  LANGUAGE. 


Ill 


every  respectable  authority  of  the  time,  as  well  French  as 
Creole.  Unfortunately,  they  are  too  familiar  already  to  the 
public. 

The  blacks  proper,  or  negro  slaves,  were  composed  of 
slaves  brought  from  all  j^arts  of  Africa,  many  of  them 
previously  having  belonged  to  the  fiercest  tribes,  taken 
prisoners  in  battle — many  of  them  even  were  cannibals — 
turned  loose  upon  the  island  among  others,  to  affect  them 
by  their  presence  or  example,  retaining,  as  they  did,  even 
r in  a state  of  servitude,  many  of  their  customs  of  religion, 
) polygamy,  and  cannibalism  ; and  I need  only  mention  here 
S the  religious  worship  of  Yaudoux,  which  has  been  known 
( to  exist  within  a few  years,  and  doubtless  does  secretly 
^ to-day,  among  some  of  the  Haytians. 

The  Creole  language  served  then,  as  it  does  to-day,  the 
colloquial  purposes  of  the  whole  of  the  French  portion  of 
the  island.  It  is  a corrupt  French,  in  which  they  have 
mixed  some  Spanish  words  Gallicised,  and  in  which  sea 
terms  even  have  found  a place.  At  best  it  is  but  a jargon  ; 
inflection  has  a great  deal  to  do  with  it.  It  can  only  be 
acquired  thoroughly  when  young ; no  European,  it  is  said, 
ever  fully  acquiring  it,  no  matter  what  the  term  of  his 
residence  may  be  in  the  isles. 

Many  of  the  servants  of  the  planters  had  been  at  Paris 
a long  time,  where  they  had  gained  new  ideas,  and  where, 
as  there  were  many  freemen  of  colour,  they  had  profited 
by  their  example  and  instructions  ; and  returning  to  Hayti, 
they  had  carried  with  them  new  ideas  about  their  own 
condition,  which  made  themselves  felt  in  the  many  plots 
and  insurrections  that  were  constantly  being  organised 
among  the  slaves.  But  public  affairs  might  have  remained 
in  a state  of  tranquillity  as  regards  the  blacks,  or  their  con- 
dition being  somewhat  improved,  they  might  have  become 
more  contented  with  their  lot,  had  it  not  been  that  the 
condition  of  affairs  and  the  state  of  feeling  existing  among 

o o o 

the  whites  towards  each  other  and  the  home  Government 


112 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


also  opened  a field,  and  afforded  an  opportunity,  which 
the  mulattoes  at  first,  and  afterwards  the  blacks,  seized 
upon  to  better  their  own  condition. 

Troubles  had  sprung  up  between  the  militia  and  the 
regular  troops,  some  of  which  ended  in  fatal  duels  on  the 
part  of  the  officers,  and  the  militia  had  been  forced  into 
special  service.  Negroes  were  taken  from  the  plantations, 
and  forced  to  drill,  much  to  the  discontent  of  their  masters 
the  planters,  many  of  whom  had  besides  to  pay  a certain 
sum  to  keep  up  companies  in  their  localities ; and  these 
things  caused  a feeling  of  restlessness  on  the  part  of  many 
of  the  prominent  inhabitants,  and  a desire  to  be  indepen- 
dent of  a metropolis  that  asked  everything,  and  gave 
nothing  in  return. 

The  Prince  de  Rohan  came  out  in  1766  as  Governor, 
with  instructions  to  do  all  in  his  power  to  satisfy  the 
colonists,  and  regulate  affairs  in  a colony  that  had  been  re- 
ported at  Paris  to  be  in  a state  of  almost  open  revolt,  while 
its  depravity  was  notorious,  according  to  an  account  that 
describes  it  as  depraved  as  a country  can  be,  having 
attained  the  apogee  of  demoralisation.”  Frightful  pictures 
were  drawn  of  the  orgies  that  these  voluptuous  colonists 
had  given  themselves  up  to  in  midnight  balls,  in  the  midst 
of  which,  the  lights  extinguished,  each  man  used  the 
woman  he  had  seized  at  random.” 

The  Superior  Council  appealed  to  the  King  to  redress 
some  of  the  complaints  made  by  the  colonists,  but  De 
Rohan  treated  these  as  seditious. 

Then  commences  a period  of  internal  struggle  and 
bickering  between  the  people,  the  authorities  of  the  island, 
and  the  representative  of  the  King.  The  prayers  of  the 
colonists  were  unanswered,  and  their  wishes  not  consulted ; 
bitterness  of  feeling  resulted,  ending  in  the  taking  of 
sides,  which  finally  resulted,  from  various  causes,  in  the 
rising  of  the  negroes.  But  this  is  deserving  of  a special 
chapter. 


CHAPTER  VII. 


^*Thy  chains  are  broken,  Africa,  be  free  ? 

Ob  ! ye  winds  and  waves. 

Waft  the  glad  tidings  to  the  land  of  slaves.” 


The  Revolutions  of  French  St  Domingo — Mode  of  Govern- 
7nent  of  the  French- — Discoiitent  of  the  Planters — Their  Desire 
for  Independence — Aspirations  of  the  Mulattoes — Ogds  Attempt 
at  Insurrection — The  Reiwlution  in  France — Its  Effects  on  St 
Domingo — Contentions  among  the  Whites — Insurrection  of  the 
Slaves — Participatio7i  of  the  English  m the  A ffaii's  of  the  Island 
— Their  Defeat^  and  Success  of  the  Blacks — Cessmi  of  the  Isla7id 
to  the  French. 

T^HE  general  and  popular  idea  of  -the  revolution  of  St 
Domingo  has  usually  been,  that  owing  to  the  cruel  man- 
ner in  which  the  slaves  were  there  treated  by  their  French 
masters,  they  rose  up  and  massacred  all  the  whites  who  did 
not  succeed  in  escaping  from  the  island  ; hut  we  shall  see 
that  this  was  only  partially  the  case,  and  the  result  of 
other  causes. 

The  revolution  of  St  Domingo  is  divided  into  three 
distinct  epochs ; — the  first  comprises  the  revolution  of  the 
whiter  the  second,  that  oFfFe'mulattoes ; and  the  third, 
the  revolution  of  the  negroes. 

Three  times  was  raised  the  cry  of  freedom,  each  time 
by  different  races,  followed  by  frightful  mixtures  of 
massacres  and  conflagrations  and  of  atrocious  cruelties ; 
the  rich  were  driven  away,  and  with  them  riches  ; the 
whites  were  exterminated,  but  with  them  also  European 


114 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


civilisation.  St  Domingo  conquered  her  liberty ; but  it  is 
seated  upon  ruins,  without  other  companions  than  dis- 
order and  idleness. 

The  Government  of  the  French  part  of  St  Domingo, 
up  to  the  year  1789,  was  exercised  by  a Governor- General 
and  an  officer  called  Intendant,  both  of  whom  were  nomi- 
nated by  the  Crown,  on  the  recommendation  of  the  Minister 
of  Marine,  generally  for  the  period  of  three  years.  Their 
powers,  in  some  cases,  were  administered  jointly ; in  others, 
they  possessed  separate  and  distinct  authority,  which  each 
of  them  exercised  without  the  concurrence  or  participation  of 
the  other;  and  these  powers  were  almost  unlimited,  against 
the  abuse  of  which  the  people  had  no  sure  protection. 

The  Governor,  in  fact,  was  an  absolute  prince,  whose 
will  was,  generally  speaking,  the  law,  the  courts  of  justice 
even  being  dependent  upon  his  final  decision  in  many 
cases. 

The  Intendant’ s proper  duties  were  to  regulate  the 
public  revenues,  or  administer  the  finances  of  the  colony. 
The  collectors  and  receivers  of  all  duties  and  taxes  were 
subject  to  his  control ; he  passed  or  rejected  their  accounts, 
and  made  them  such  allowances  as  he  alone  thought  proper ; 
and  with  him  rested  entirely  the  application  of  all  the  public 
moneys. 

The  taxes  and  duties  were  laid  on  and  modified,  as  occasion 
required,  by  a court  composed  of  the  Governor- General, 
the  Intendant,  the  Presidents  of  the  Provincial  Councils, 
the  Attorney- General,  the  Commissioner  of  the  Navy, 
and  the  several  Commandants  of  the  Militia.  This  court 
was  dignified  by  the  title  of  the  Colonial  Assembly ; and 
though  the  colonists  had  not  a single  delegate  in  it,  the 
reader  will  see  that,  in  the  revolutionary  state  of  affairs 
in  which  the  colony  was  shortly  to  be  placed,  this  Assembly 
played  a very  important  part. 

The  colony,  for  convenience  in  governing,  was  divided 
into  three  provinces,  the  northern,  the  western,  and  the 


DISCONTENT  OF  THE  PLANTERS. 


115 


southern.  In  each  of  these  resided  a Deputy  Governor, 
and  in  each  were  established  subordinate  courts  of  civil 
and  criminal  justice,  from  whose  decisions  appeals  were 
allowed  to  the  two  superior  councils,  of  which  one  was  at 
Cape  Francois,  for  the  northern  province,  the  other  at 
Fort-au-Prince,  for  the  western  and  southern  provinces. 

At  the  breaking  out  of  the  Fevolution  in  France,  there 
were  at  St  Domingo  several  elements  of  trouble.  The 
colonists,  haughty  in  their  pride  and  riches,  absolute 
lords  of  vast  domains,  and  arbiters  of  human  lives  in  the 
persons  of  their  thousands  of  slaves,  borne  down  by  a hard  j 
yoke,  were  restive  under  the  government  of  a metropolis  so  ’ 
far  away,  which,  as  they  thought,  interfered  with  the  proper  ' 
development  of  their  interests,  commercial  as  well  as  agri-  , 
cultural,  and  controlled  by  a Governor  not  chosen  from 
among  themselves,  but  sent  from  Paris,  while  they  were 
debarred  from  sharing  in  the  offices  that  their  own  success  i 
had  created. 

The  freedom  in  the  United  States,  too,  at  this  time  was 
a signal  of  regeneration,  and  gave  rise  to  new  ideas  of 
liberty  and  government ; and,  as  a result,  the  colonists 
wanted  to  constitute  a national  sovereignty  for  them- 
selves, and  to  demand,  in  return  for  the  riches  they  sent 
to  the  metropolis,  an  independence  they  believed  they 
merited. 

These  ideas  fermented  strongly  in  the  colony,  and 
made  rapid  progress  everywhere,  when  there  appeared 
the  first  acts  of  the  National  Assembly  in  France. 

Every  one  of  all  classes  and  of  all  colours  received  with 
enthusiasm  the  news  of  the  Revolution ; the  planters  saw 
therein  the  sister  of  the  American  Revolution,  which 
should  bring  them  also  freedom  and  liberty  of  commerce. 

They  'hoped  to  govern  themselves,  and  prescribe  their 
own  laws  and  customs ; while  the  numbers  of  small 
traders  saw  a chance  for  themselves  in  the  numerous 
small  offices  that  would  be  created,  and  by  which,  without 


116 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


ever  giving  a thought  to  the  rights  of  the  mulattoes,  they 
alone  expected  to  benefit. 

But  the  mulattoes  thought  differently,  and  they  judged 
that,  if  the  former  classes  were  to  have  their  share  in 
these  new  rights,  they  (the  mulattoes)  also,  according  to 
the  newly  promulgated  doctrines  of  the  rights  of  man, 
should  have  a share  in  the  benefits  which  would  accrue. 

Thus  these  very  divisions  of  classes  gave  ground  for 
divisions  of  interests  and^  ideas,  which  were  looked  upon, 
especially  those  of  the  mulattoes,  as  monstrous. 

Strange  to  say,  the  mulattoes,  with  the  negro  slaves 
below  them,  paid  at  first  no  regard  to  the  interests  of  the 
latter,  having  no  idea  that  they  should  share  in  this  new 
millennium  of  liberty ; and  it  was  only  after  being  van- 
quished by  the  negroes,  that  the  mulattoes  consented  to 
receive  them  as  equals. 

Many  of  the  mulattoes  from  St  Domingo  and  other 
French  islands  were  at  this  time  resident  at  Paris,  where 
they  had  gone  with  their  wealth  to  enjoy  the  freedom  which 
was  debarred  them  in  their  native  land,  as  also  to  bring  up 
and  educate  their  children.  Through  these  a strong  prejudice 
was  created  against  the  W est  India  planters  on  account  of 
the  barbarous  treatment  of  their  slaves,  and  this  created  a 
sympathy  for  the  black  race  that  took  form  in  the  society 
known  as  the  Amis  des  Noirs  (Friends  of  the  Blacks),  and 
it  is  probably  with  them  that  efforts  first  began  to  be  made 
to  abolish  African  slavery. 

In  that  same  city,  and  yet  from  the  same  isle,  there  was 
another  class,  very  different  in  position,  ideas,  and  feelings. 
This  was  composed  of  the  rich  planters,  who,  accustomed 
to  spend  most  of  their  time,  as  well  as  most  of  their  means, 
at  Paris,  had  formed  a club  known  as  the  Massiac,” 
being  the  name  of  the  owner  of  the  house  they  frequented. 
They  combated  in  toto  the  ideas  of  the  Amis  des  Noirs,  and 
demanded  an  independent  government  for  the  Island  of  St 
Domingo. 


THE  ASSEMBLIES. 


117 


When,  in  1789,  the  National  Assembly  met,  a deputa- 
tion of  mulattoes  presented  a petition,  asking  for  their 
civil  and  political  rights ; to  which  the  President  of  the 
Assembly  responded  by  saying,  that  not  a single  part 
of  the  nation  should  ask  in  vain  its  rights  from  the 
Assembly  of  the  representatives  of  the  French  people.” 

Meanwhile,  at  St  Domingo,  the  creoles  awaited  not 
even  the  sanction  of  the  home  Grovernment  to  their 
independence ; for  already  they  had  formed  primary 
Assemblies,  and  afterwards  provincial  Assemblies,  repre- 
senting the  three  great  divisions  of  the  island,  with  sittings 
at  the  various  chief  towns  of  the  provinces.  Cape  Francois, 
Port-au-Prince,  and  Aux  Cayes. 

^ These  Assemblies  however,  did  not,  permit  the  presence 
V of  a single  coloured  man  ; on  the  contrary,  a petition  having 
I been  presented  by  a mulatto  named  Lacombe  to  the  Assem- 
1 bly  of  the  north,  asking  that  the  rights  of  the  mulattoes 
\ should  be  recognised,  the  Assembly  considered  it  as  incen- 
l diary,  and  hung  the  author. 

The  three  Assemblies  (north,  south,  and  west)  not 
being  able  to  agree  with  each  other  in  the  general  admin- 
istration of  the  colony,  resolved  to  confide  these  interests 
to  an  Assembly,  called  colonial ; and  this  Assembly,  in 
order  to  be  perfectly  free  in  its  deliberations,  held  its 
sittings  at  the  town  of  St  Mark,  25th  March  1790,  taking 
afterwards  the  name  of  the  General  Assembly  of  French 
St  Domingo. 

This  Assembly  decided  that  if,  before  three  months 
elapsed,  the  French  Government  did  not  send  it  instruc- 
tions, it  would  assume  the  government  of  the  colony. 

A decree,  however,  came  in  that  time,  acceding  to  the 
wishes  of  the  colony  in  making  it  part  of  the  general 
government ; providing,  however,  that  certain  laws  incom- 
patible with  the  interests  of  the  colonists  should  not  be 
understood  as  applying  to  the  colony,  in  these  memor- 
able words : “It  (the  Government)  has  never  meant  to 


118 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


comprise  the  colonies  in  the  constitution  (in  which  all 
men  were  declared  equal)  decreed  for  the  kingdom.” 

This  was  a deathblow  to  the  hopes  the  mulattoes  had  of 
securing  their  share  in  the  rights  of  man ; ” and  they  asked 
in'  vain  at  the  hands  of  the  Assemblies  a recognition  of 
their  claim.  Yet  again  they  did  not  despair,  but  appealed 
to  that  clause  in  the  decree  which  says,  ‘‘that  should  he 
considered  as  active  citizens  all  men,  adults,  proprietors  of 
real  property,  or,  in  default  of  such  property,  domiciled  in 
the  parish  since  two  }^ears,  and  paying  contributions.” 

The  whites  refused  to  interpret  this  as  making  mulattoes 
active  citizens,  and  refused  to  receive  them  as  such,  placing 
themselves,  on  this  ground,  in  open  rebellion  against  the 
Government  of  France. 

The  mulattoes,  on  the  contrary,  hoping  in  time  to  secure 
their  rights  legally,  supported  the  Governor  and  the  agents 
of  the  King. 

In  May  1790,  the  General  Assembly  of  St  Mark  published 
the  basis  of  the  colonial  constitution,  in  which  it  stated 
very  plainly  its  ideas  of  independence,  and  assuming  to 
itself  the  extreme  powers  of  the  government;  so  that 
from  thence  there  w^ere  two  powers, — the  legitimate 
one  of  the  King,  and  the  assumed  one  of  the  Colonial 
Assembly. 

The  national  guard  took  sides ; those  who  wished  the 
independence  of  the  colony  called  themselves  patriots,  and 
mounted  a red  cockade ; those  who  wished  to  maintain  the 
submission  to  the  general  Government  and  the  metropolis 
were  called  “ aristocrats,”  a term  of  opprobrium,  and  these 
sported  the  white  cockade.  The  planters  took  sides  accord- 
ing as  their  interests  dictated ; while  the  small  inhabitants, 
knowing  well  the  pride  of  the  rich  planters,  who  composed 
the  patriotic  party,  sided  against  them,  and  with  the 
Government  party ; while  the  Provincial  Assembly  of  the 
north,  whose  representatives  were  all  more  or  less  legal 
people,  and  who  had  been  offended  by  a decree  of  the  General 


FIRST  CONFLICT. 


119 


Assembly  proscribing  the  laws  of  usury  and  legal  charges, 
sided  with  the  Government  party. 

The  General  Assembly  then  declared  as  traitors  to  the 
country  the  members  of  the  Provincial  Assembly  of  the 
north,  and  proclaimed  the  freedom  of  trade ; licensed 
two  regiments  of  militia,  and  ordered  their  reorganisation. 
A single  detachment  of  the  regiment  of  Port-au-Prince, 
induced  by  extra  pay  offered  by  the  Assembly,  answered 
its  call,  and  was  incorporated  in  the  national  guard ; and 
the  Assembly,  carried  away  by  its  desires,  called  to  its  bar 
of  trial  the  colonial  chief. 

Peynier,  the  Governor,  then  deemed  it  time  to  interfere, 
.and  dissolve  an  Assembly  that  was  creating  civil  war  in 
the  island.  He  called  upon  the  captain  of  the  French  man- 
of-war  lying  in  the  harbour  to  give  him  aid ; but  the  crew 
hearing  orders  given  to  fire  upon  the  patriots,”  refused 
obedience,  and  sided  with  the  Assembly.’ 

The  Governor,  not  discouraged,  after  issuing  a pro- 
clamation declaring  the  Assembly  dissolved,  and  its  members 
traitors  and  rebels,  ordered  Colonel  Mauduit  to  go  with 
some  soldiers  and  disperse  the  Provincial  Assembly  of  the 
west,  which  had  made  common  cause  with  the  Assembly  of 
Saint  Mark.  They,  however,  calling  to  their  aid  400  red 
pompons  of  the  national  guard,  Mauduit  was  on  his  arrival 
received  by  a discharge  which  killed  fifteen  men  ; this  so 
exasperated  the  soldiers  that  they  threw  themselves  into 
the  room,  and  dispersed  the  national  guard,  whose  colours 
they  captured  ; while  the  Assembly  took  to  fiight,  the 
building  being  pillaged. 

The  General  Assembly  now  announced  its  determina- 
tion to  resist,  and  the  Governor  ordered  Mauduit  against 
it ; while  from  the  province  of  the  north  came  a body  of 
men  commanded  by  the  Baron  de  Vincent. 

Menaced  by  these  forces,  the  Assembly  saw  appear  at 
St  Mark  the  same  man  - of  - war  ( The  Leopard)  whose 
crew  offered  to  stand  by  them;  but  the  members  of  the 


120 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


Assembly  taking  a sudden  resolution,  determined  to  go  to 
France  on  board  this  ship,  and  appeal  to  the  Assembly 
there  to  recognise  their  illegal  acts. 

So  far  from  acceding  to  this,  on  their  arrival  the  National 
Assembly  of  France  declared  them  all  traitors,  and  placed 
them  in  arrest. 

This  news  made  a great  disturbance  in  St  Domingo,  and 
the  Governor  having  called  together  the  primary  Assemblies 
to  elect  new  deputies,  the  absent  members  were  re-elected. 

In  the  midst  of  this  excitement  came  the  news  of  the 
uprising  of  the  mulattoes,  inagurated  by  Oge. 

‘V  James  Oge,  a j^oung  mulatto,  son  of  a coffee-planter,  had 
) been  sent  to  Paris  to  be  educated,  where,  at  the  age  of  about 
/ thirty  years,  he  had  secured  the  friendship  of  the  Amis  des 
1 Noirs,  who,  it  is  said,  procured  for  him  a commission  in  the 
army  of  one  of  the  German  Electors.  Finding  that  the 
claims  of  his  people  were  not  to  be  allowed  by  the  Assembly 
I at  Paris,  he  made  his  preparations,  and  by  a circuitous  route 
j reached  St  Domingo,  where  he  iinmediately  addressed  the 
I Governor,  Peynier,  a note  demanding  a recognition  for  the 
mulattoes  of  their  rights  as  citizens  ; at  the  same  time  pre- 
paring, with  the  assistance  of  his  two  brothers,  a force 
among  the  disaffected  to  back  up  his  demands. 

With  him  was  associated  Chavannes ; but  though  en- 
camped at  Grand  Piviere,  near  Cape  Francois,  they  were 
not  able  to  gather  together  more  than  two  hundred  men, 
and  this  force  was  soon  defeated  ; Oge  himself  being  com- 
pelled  to  flee^te  the  Spanish  part,  where  he  took  refuge  in 
St  Domingo  city. 

Peynier  being  succeeded  by  Blanchelande,  the  new 
commander  made  a peremptory  demand  upon  the  Spanish 
Governor  for  Oge,  who  was  most  infamously  given  up  to 
the  French,  in  spite  of  the  noble  protest  of  Doctor  Faura, 
the  Spanish  Auditor  of  War.  The  rendition,  however, 
took  place  on  condition  that  the  French  should  spare  Oge’s 
life. 


DEMORALISATION  OF  TROOPS. 


121 


How  well  this  condition  was  kept  we  can  understand 
when  we  learn  that,  in  the  presence  of  the  whole  body  of  the 
Provincial  Assembly,  the  unfortunate  man  was  broken  on 
the  wheel. 

'TC-rdiy  had  the  whites  quelled  the  insurrection  of  the 
mulattoes,  than  they  re-opened  among  themselves  the  re- 
bellion. 

Two  frigates  had  been  sent  to  St  Domingo  carrying 
troops  to  support  the  new  Governor ; but  it  appears 
they  had  been  tampered  with,  even  before  sailing  from 
Brest,  by  the  friends  of  the  Council  of  St  Mark ; and  on 
their  arrival,  although  they  had  been  directed  to  land  at 
St  Nicholas’  mole,  they  disobeyed  these  orders  by  land- 
ing at  Port-au-Prince. 

Their  had  example  led  away  the  hitherto  loyal  regiment 
of  Mauduit,  and  the  patriots,  mingling  with  the  soldiers, 
seduced  them  so  effectually,  that  they  gave  their  assistance 
to  the  rebels,  and  against  the  authorities  they  had  come  to 
support. 

The  small  whites  were  also  demoralised  by  the  pro- 
mises and  corruptions  of  the  patriot  party ; and  the  red 
cockades  marched  down  to  Colonel  Mauduit,  to  ask  for 
the  restoration  of  the  colours  taken  from  them  by  him, 
the  men  of  his  own  regiment  even  appearing  against  him. 
Mauduit  seeing  it  would  be  useless  to  stem  this  torrent, 
came  forward  to  present  them  the  colours,  when  a voice 
from  the  crowd  demanded  that  he  should  kneel  down 
and  beg  pardon  ; but,  brave  man  as  he  was,  he  preferred 
death  to  dishonour,  and  baring  his  breast  to  the  crowd, 
he  fell  sabred  by  a soldier  of  his  own  regiment,  while 
the  infuriated  people  fell  upon  his  body,  and  mutilated 
and  dishonoured  it  in  every  way,  dragging  it  through  the 
filth  of  the  streets,  foremost  among  these  demons  being 
a woman. 

Such  were  some  of  the  scenes  enacted  by  white  men, 
as  an  example  to  the  blacks,  who  were  shortly  to  out-do 


122 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


4 


their  teachers  in  deeds  of  cruelty  and  bloodshed ; for  follow- 
ing rapidly  upon  this  event,  the  signal  of  the  downfall  of 
the  power  of  the  legitimate  Governor,  came  that  fearful 
episode  in  the  annals  of  St  Domingo  which  made  the  blood 
of  the  civilised  world  run  cold  with  the  horrors  there 
perpetrated. 

From  France  in  1791  came  the  decree  that  ‘Hhe 
colonial  Assemblies  actually  existing  should  remain,  but 
that  the  people  of  colour  horn  of  free  parents  shall  be 
admitted  to  the  primary  and  colonial  Assemblies  of  the 
future,  if  they  have  the  requisite  qualifications.” 

This  was  a firebrand  thrown  into  the  homes  of  St 
Domingo.  The  mulattoes,  on  receipt  of  this  news,  went 
crazy  with  delight,  while  the  whites  were  enraged  with 
vexation  and  disappointment. 

Open  revolt  was  declared  by  the  latter  against  the 
Government,  and  solemn  oaths  were  taken  by  members 
of  the  Assembly,  pledging  their  lives,  their  fortunes,  and 
their  honour  to  sustain  the  cause. 

— A scene  of  days  of  chaos  and  confusion  followed,  in 
the  midst  of  which  Jean  Francois,  a mulatto,  with  a negro 
slave,  Boukmann,  on  the  plantation  Turpin,  gathered  a 
force  of  negro  slaves,  and  marched  upon  the  town  of 
Cape  Francois,  carrying  as  their  banner  of  liberty  the 
body  of  a white  infant  on  a spear-head,  and  murdering 
and  devastating  in  their  whole  march  until  they  reached 
the  environs  of  the  town. 

Amidst  the  confusion  that  arose  in  the  town  on  receipt 
of  this  news,  the  mulattoes  demanded  arms  from  the  whites 
to  assist  in  repelling  the  negroes.  So  far  from  their  request 
being  granted,  the  whites  fell  upon  them,  and  massacred 
them,  accusing  them  of  having  instigated  the  rebellion. 

The  negroes  were  soon  defeated  by  the  assembled  forces 
of  the  whites,  who  pursued  their  advantage  bj^  killing  and 
-murdering  the  negroes  in  every  direction ; and  a saturnalia 
of  blood  was  inaugurated  which  makes  the  heart  sick  at  the 


HORRIBLE  ATROCITIES. 


123 


accounts  of  the  cruelties  practised  by  those  polished  whites 
from  that  most  finished  city,  The  Paris  of  the  West 
Indies.” 

But  these  deeds  brought  their  own  punishment ; for  the 
whole  black  population,  finding  they  had  no  mercy  to  expect 
at  the  hands  of  the  whites,  rose  in  revolt  und^r  ^e  leader- 
ship  of  Jean  Francois,  and  Biassou,  his  lieutenant. 

Everywhere  the  fires  of  the  incendiaries  were  lighted,  and 
the  once  noble  habitations  were  burned  to  the  ground,  while 
the  hitherto  smiling  plains  of  successful  agriculture  be- 
came vast  wastes  of  desolation. 

To  add  to  the  strength  of  this  uprising,  the  minority 
party  of  the  whites  is  said  to  have  encouraged  the  blacks : 
and  the  latter  assumed,  in  their  first  attempts,  to  be  fight- 
ing the  cause  of  the  King,  whom  they  maintained  the  whites 


had  in  custody  at  Paris. 

The  negroes  marched  to  Port  Margot,  bearing  a banner 
on  one  side  of  which  was  inscribed,  “ Vive  le  Boi,”  and 
on  the  other,  Ancien  Eegime  and  while  calling  them- 
selves King’s  people,”  their  leader  marched  at  their  head 
wearing  the  decoration  of  the  order  of  St  Louis. 

A letter  found  at  one  of  the  plantations  after  a fight 
implicated  also  the  Spaniards  in  this  movement  of  the 
Royalist  party,  and  subsequent  events  seem  to  confirm  it. 

The  crimes  committed  by  one  of  these  negro  chiefs 
(Jeannot)  almost  pass  the  bounds  of  credence,  and  yet  they 
are  verified  by  many  authorities.  Young  girls  ravished  in 
presence  of  their  parents,  white  men  sawed  to  pieces  be- 
tween planks,  others  maimed,  or  their  joints  dislocated, 
while  the  fiend  stood  by  and  drank  human  blood  mingled 
with  tafia.  His  crimes  became,  however,  even  too  great 
for  the  negroes,  and  he  was  taken  and  put  to  death  by  Jean 
Francois. 

Meanwhile  the  patriotic  party,  so  far  from  being  dis- 
mayed by  the  storm  they  had  raised,  refused  assistance 
from  France,  and  applied  to  the  English  at  Jamaica  for 
11 


124 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


help  ; and  before  sufficient  time  had  elapsed  for  them  to 
hear  from  there,  the  patriot  troops  mounted  the  English 
round  hat,  with  a black  cockade  for  the  national  colour. 

Lord  Effingham,  the  Governor  of  Jamaica,  did  not  deem 
it  wise  at  once  to  accede  to  the  demands  of  the  patriots, 
but  sent  supplies  of  arms  and  ammunition,  and  also 
stationed  a man-of-war  on  the  coast. 

Meanwhile  the  negroes  were  carrying  on  their  attacks 
and  devastations,  until  the  whites  were  forced  to  take 
refuge  in  the  towns,  until,  at  the  battle  of  Limbe,  the 
negroes  were  defeated. 

Yet  again  the  mulattoes,  who  in  all  these  troubles  ap- 
pear to  have  been  more  inclined  to  the  whites  than  to  the 
negroes,  asked  for  a recognition  of  their  rights,  which  were 
refused  them. 

Claiming  then  that  they  had  law  upon  their  side,  they 
assembled  together  and  elected  their  chiefs,  among  whom 
were  some  men  of  great  intelligence,  afterwards  distin- 
guished in  the  history  of  the  island  (Rigaud,  Petion,  &c.). 
They  fixed  the  seat  of  their  operations  at  the  little  village 
of  Croix  des  Bouquets,  only  a few  miles  from  Port-au- 
Prince. 

A first  attack  upon  the  mulattoes  by  troops  from  Port- 
au-Prince  was  unsuccessful ; and  the  old  planters  having 
allied  themselves  with  the  mulattoes,  as  the  “ Ancien 
Regime,”  their  power  became  established  in  the  island,  as 
the  nucleus  around  which  gathered  increasing  power,  inso- 
much that  the  assembly  of  Port-au-Prince  finally  agreed 
that  in  future  the  garrison  of  that  place  should  consist  of 
equal  numbers  of  whites  and  coloured  men,  agreeing  at  the 
same  time  that  the  Colonial  Assembly  should  be  re-composed 
in  accordance  with  the  decree  of  the  15th  May. 

When,  however,  the  Colonial  Assembly  re-united  at  the 
Cape,  it  would  not  approve  of  this  action,  and  broke  the 
agreement,  again  placing  itself  in  communication  with  the 
English,  without  result;  and  shortly  after  news  arrived 


SUCCESS  OF  THE  BLACKS. 


125 


from  France  of  the  approval  by  the  home  Government  of  ' 
its  opposition,  and  civil  war  was  again  inaugurated,  in 
which  the  two  parties  were  arrayed  against  each  other — 
the  mulattoes  and  negroes  each  day  learning  their  power 
better,  and  the  whites  of  either  party  committing  such 
atrocious  deeds  as  subsequently  were  unequalled  by  the 
blacks  themselves. 

The  blacks  and  mulattoes  having  coalesced,  a battle  was 
fought  between  them  and  the  whites  at  Croix  des  Bouquets, 
March  28,  1792,  in  which  the  whites  were  entirely  de- 
feated, andr  driven  back  into  the  city  of  Port-au-Prince. 

It  is  related  by  several  authorities,  that  notwithstanding"! 
the  success  of  the  blacks  in  this  engagement,  the  negroes,  1 
under  the  command  of  their  black  chief  Hyacinth,  be- 
haved themselves  with  the  utmost  propriety.  Hot  a house 
was  burned  nor  a white  man  molested  subsequent  to  the 
battle ; on  the  contrary,  the  chiefs  ordered  the  negroes  to  \ 
return  to  work. 

In  other  parts  of  the  island  the  black  and  white  royalists 
met  with  success  everywhere,  until  the  agents  of  the 
French  Government,  seeing  how  hopeless  was  the  state  of 
affairs,  returned  to  France  to  report  the  condition  of  matters 
in  the  island. 

By  the  edict  of  April  4,  1792,  the  National  Assembly 
of  France  again  declared  the  right  of  the  free  coloured  man 
to  a share  of  the  government ; and  electing  three  new 
commissioners,  ordered  a new  election  of  the  colonial 
Assemblies. 

With  these  three  new  commissioners  came  6000  troops. 
Slavery  was  to  be  legalised,  while  giving  rights  to  free 
coloured  men.  Upon  this  the  mulattoes  separated  them- 
selves from  the  negroes  in  revolt,  and  joined  the  troops  of 
the  party  of  the  commissioners.  These  had,  on  their  arrival, 
declared  they  recognised  but  two  classes  in  the  island — the 
freemen,  without  distinction  of  colour,  and  the  slaves. 

Meanwhile  the  assembly  of  Port-au-Prince  continued 


126 


SAJ^TO  DOMINGO. 


their  resistance,  while  that  of  the  Cape  dissolved.  The 
former  place  was  blockaded  by  land  and  sea, — Rigaud,  a 
mulatto  general,  having  command  of  the  troops  on  land. 

The  Assembly  made  a stout  resistance  ; but  on  the  arrival 
of  the  French  commissioners  with  troops,  the  city  was, 
after  an  attack,  surrendered,  some  of  the  principal  rebels, 
however,  making  their  escape  to  Jamaica. 

Meanwhile  the  blacks,  ignored  by  the  whites  and  the 
mulattoes,  were  in  arms  ; and  various  forces,  under  the  com* 
mand  of  Rigaud  and  other  mulatto  generals,  were  sent 
against  them;  and  after  various  combats,  the  negroes' were 
subdued,  and  an  amnesty  being  offered,  14,000  negroes 
availed  themselves  of  it,  and  the  island  was  thus  almost 
restored  to  a state  of  tranquillity  under  the  commissioners, 
except  in  the  province  of  Grand  Anse,  when  war  was 
declared  between  France  and  England,  May  1793. 

Galbaud,  a planter  of  St  Domingo,  or  at  all  events  the 
owner  of  a coffee  estate,  had  been  appointed  Governor  of 
the  island  by  the  authorities  in  France ; and  his  predilec- 
tions being  stronglj^  on  the  side  of  the  colonists,  he  rather 
over-slaughed  the  commissioners  and  their  acts. 

They,  on  their  part,  sheltering  themselves  behind  the 
law  that  no  planter  could  be  appointed  to  authority  in  the 
island,  and  that  at  the  time  he  (Galbaud)  was  given  in 
France  .his  appointment  it  was  not  known  that  he  was  a 
planter,  refused  to  recognise  his  authority. 

Nevertheless,  they  were  willing  that  he  should  return  to 
France  and  make  known  this  fact,  and  be  reinvested  with 
his  powers  as  Governor. 

Galbaud’s  brother  would  not  submit  to  these  proceedings, 
and  accordingly  collected  from  among  the  inhabitants,  the 
Cape  militia,  and  the  seamen  in  the  harbour,  a strong  party 
to  support  the  Governor’s  authority. 

This  dispute  led  to  some  terrible  scenes  and  affrays  ; for  in 
a few  days  the  two  brothers,  at  the  head  of  a large  number 
of  followers,  marched  against  the  Government  House  in  Cape 


DREADFUL  BUTCHERY. 


127 


Francois,  and  were  proceeding  successfully,  when  a body  of 
seamen,  getting  possession  of  a wine-cellar,  became  intoxi- 
cated and  ungovernable  and  their  column  was  obliged  to 


seek  shelter  in  the  royal  arsenal. 

Next  day  much  parleying  ensued  : but  Polverel,  the  com- 
missioner, rejected  the  overtures  of  the  Governor ; theu  fol- 
lowed scenes  of  horror  indescribable ; for  the  commissioner ,_ 
having  made  overtures  to  the  blacks  under  Biassou  and 
Francois,  which  were  rejected,  they  were  finally  accepted  by 
a negro  chief  named  Macaya,  who,  with  3000  revolted  slaves, 
entered  the  town,  and  murdered  indiscriminately  men, 
women,  and  children.  A few  white  inhabitants  attempted 
to  seek  shelter  on  board  the  ships  ; but  were  intercepted  by 
the  mulattoes,  and  a dreadful  butchery  ensued,  which 
horrified  even  the  commissioners  themselves,  who  were  un- 
able to  appease  the  angry  passions  they  had  roused,  being 
forced  themselves  to  seek  shelter  in  a neighbouring  fort, 
while  Galbaud,  with  the  frightened  citizens,  seeking  refuge 
in  the  ships  in  the  harbour,  set  sail  for  the  United  States. 

When  the  revolt  among  the  negroes  had  begun  in  the 


northern  province,  many  emigrations  of  the  whites  had  taken 
place  to  the  adjoining  islands  and  to  America.  Some  of 
the  principal  planters  had  even  gone  to  England,  and 
invoked  the  aid  of  the  British  Government,  which  had  been 
refused  until  the  war  was  declared  between  France  and 
England,  when,  in  1793  the  Governor  of  Jamaica  received 
instrudions  to  receive  the  submission  of  those  inhabitants 
of  St  Domingo  who  solicited  the  British  protection,  and 
for  this  purpose  he  was  directed  to  send  a force  to  hold  such 
places  in  St  Domingo  as  should  be  surrendered  to  him. 

The  French  commissioners,  Santhonax  and  Polverel,  al- 
though they  had  succeeded,  in  addition  to  the  force  of  6000 
regulars  brought  with  them  from  France,  in  raising  a large 
body  of  men  from  the  national  guard,  the  militia,  and 
even  the  free  blacks  and  runaway  slaves,  yet  had  these 
troops  scattered  over  a large  extent  of  territory. 


128 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


On  the  first  information,  therefore,  of  the  attack  of  the 
English,  they  desired  to  strengthen  their  condition  in  every 
way,  and  for  this  purpose  issued  a proclamation  abolishing 
slavery,  offering  clothes  and  arms  to  all  slaves  who  would 
enrol  themselves  under  their  banner. 

Many  of  the  negroes  availed  themselves  of  this  oppor- 
tunity to  secure  arms  and  accoutrements,  with  which  they 
immediately  deserted  to  the  mountain  fastnesses,  where,  with 
a large  number  of  others,  they  formed  themselves  into  a sort 
of  mountain  republic. 

Among  the  principal  leaders  of  the  blacks  in  the  early 
])eriod  of  the  uprising  was  Jean  Francois,  who  bore  the 
title  of  general,  and  to  whom  was  afterwards  joined  others 
of  note,  as  Biassou  and  Rigaud ; but  the  two  former  were 
more  closelj^  allied,  ravaging  together  with  their  followers 
the  same  districts  on  the  Spanish  frontiers. 

As  the  above  declaration  of  emancipation  in  the  French 
part  jeopardised  in  a great  measure  the  interests  of  the 
inhabitants  of  the  Spanish  part,  among  whom  there  were  a 
large  number  of  slaves,  the  frontier  towns,  with  the  consent 
of  the  local  authorities,  and  in  connection  with  man}^  of  the 
royalist  French  emigrants,  secretl}"  assisted  Biassou  and 
Jean  Francois  with  arms  and  money,  in  order  that  these 
chiefs  might  increase  an  insurrection  among  the  people  of 
colour,  under  the  plea  that  the  Liberals  were  in  arms  against 
the  King  because  he  had  declared  the  liberty  of  the  slaves. 

Notwithstanding  this  plea,  the  Spaniards  profited  by  their 
assistance  to  the  negro  chiefs  in  receiving  from  them  the 
negro  prisoners  they  took,  as  well  as  the  slaves  they  ran  off 
from  the  plantations,  giving  in  exchange  for  them  cattle  and 
gold  ; these  poor  creatures  were  then  shipped,  at  great  profit 
by  the  Spaniards,  to  Porto  Rico  and  Cuba. 

The  death  of  Louis  the  Sixteenth  of  France  made  a 
great  change  in  the  state  of  affairs  on  the  frontier  of  St 
Domingo;  for  Biassou  and  Francois,  on  receiving  newsof  this 
event,  renounced  the  revolutionary  Government  entirely,  and 


ENGLISH  SUCCESSES. 


129 


with  their  companions  abandoned  the  French  territory,  and 
seebing  shelter  among  the  Spaniards,  took  the^patb-ofjalle- 
giance  and  service  with  Charles  the  Fourth  of  Spain,  and 
for  their  services  they  received  commissions  of  high  rank, 
Francois  being  made  general,  Biassou  field-naarshal,  and 
Tous^nt  jc^qneljin  the  Spanish  army. 

In  the  contests  that  followed,  Spain  not  recognising  the 
republic  of  France,  much  damage  was  done  by  both  parties 
on  the  frontiers,  several  Spanish  towns  being  destroyed, 
and  the  inhabitants  of  those  districts  losing  all  the  advan- 
tages they  had  gained  in  years  of  peace.  England  and 
Spain  having  united  to  divide  the  island  between  them,  the 
Spanish  troops  pushed  their  black  allies  under  Biassou  and 
Francois  with  such  vigour,  that  the  French  rapidly  lost  pos- 
session of  a great  part  of  the  south,  and  the  whole  north  of 
the  island. 

The  English,  meanwhile,  had  landed,  though  not  in  very 
great  force,  at  Jeremie,  on  the  19th  September,  being 
commanded  by  Colonel  Whitelock  ; and  assisted  by  several 
frigates,  the  town  of  St  Nicholas  soon  fell  into  their 
hands.  An  attempt  on  Tiburon  was  not  so  successful, 
failing  utterly. 

St  Mark,  Arcahaye,  Leogane,  and  other  towns,  however, 
soon  fell  into  their  hands;  and  encouraged  by  these  successes, 
a second  and  successful  attack  was  made  upon  Cape  Tiburon, 
by  which  means  nearly  the  whole  of  the  western  coast  was 
subject  to  their  control,  except  Port-au-Prince. 

Port  de  Paix,  an  important  town  on  the  north-west 
coast,  was  much  desired  by  the  English  ; but  it  was  stoutly 
defended  by  a veteran  general  of  the  French  service, 
Levaux ; and  finding  it  impossible  to  take  it  at  once  by 
force,  they  resorted  to  corruption,  hoping  to  bribe  the  old 
chief  to  surrender ; but  he  not  only  declined  these  overtures, 
but  sent  a challenge  to  the  English  commander  for  the 
insult  offered  him  in  making  such  a proposition. 

The  English  and.  Spaniards  had  agreed  to  divide  the 


130 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


island  between  them,  in  consideration  of  which,  the  latter 
were  now  giving  the  English  their  assistance  in  the  attack 
on  Port  de  Paix,  hut  without  success.  In  this  alliance 
between  the  English  and  Spaniards,  the  famous  Toussaint, 
who,  for  his  valuable  services,  had  been  rewarded  as  stated 
above  by  the  Spanish  Government,  was  faithfully  doing 
them  service.  Levaux  and  Pigaud,  meanwhile,  had  been 
making  war  against  the  English  with  varied  success, 
assisted  in  great  degree  by  the  delay  in  the  arrival  of  ex- 
pected reinforcements  ; but  these  having  arrived,  the  city  of 
Port-au-Prince  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  English,  with  a 
large  booty,  the  14th  of  June.  The  French  commissioners, 
who  were  at  this  place,  made  their  escape,  with  numerous 
followers,  before  its  surrender,  to  the  neighbouring  moun- 
tains, taking  with  them,  by  means  of  a number  of  mules,  a 
large  amount  of  valuable  property.  Finding,  however,  that 
the  island  was  now  prett}^  much  in  the  power  of  the  coloured 
people,  captained  hy  Pigaud  and  Toussaint,  the  commis- 
sioners sought  the  first  opportunity  to  return  to  France, 
where  it  appears  their  proceedings  were  duly  approved  of  by 
the  French  Government.  This  was  followed  by  the  general 
spread  of  the  English  throughout  the  different  portions  of  the 
island  ; but  they  had  come  into  possession  of  so  many  towns, 
and  such  an  extent  of  country,  that  their  own  troops  were 
not  numerous  enough  to  hold  them,  and  they  had  to  rely  in 
many  cases  on  negro  slaves,  officered  by  themselves,  or 
those  French  who  were  in  favour  of  their  cause.  In  many 
cases  these  allies  proved  faithless,  and  Pigaud  and  others 
were  still  carrying  on  their  operations,  by  which  the  English 
troops  met  with  disaster,  to  say  nothing  of  the  effects  of  the 
climate  upon  troops  that  were  utterly  unaccustomed  to  its 
peculiarities. 

When  Levaux  was  sorely  besieged  at  Port  de  Paix  by 
the  English,  he  bethought  him  of  Toussaint,  whose 
influence  he  knew  was  very  great  with  the  negroes ; and 
by  means  of  a faithful  messenger  he  s^nt  him  an  offer  to 


TOUSSAINT  UOUYERTURE. 


131 


induce  him  to  leave  the  Spaniards  and  join  ^im  (Levaux), 
with  his  forces,  promising  to  make  him  aTgeneral  of  brigade. 

Although  Toussaint  was  in  the  service  of  the  Spaniards, 
and  had  been  decorated  by  them,  he  judged  that  the  mte- 
rests  of  the  negroes  would  be  safer  under  a republic  than 
with  the  Spaniards  ; and  he  thefefdhe  persuaded  his  followers 


to  join  him,  and  accepted  the  offer  of  Levaux.  Some 
Spaniards  attempting  to  interfere  with  his  plans,  he  did 
not  hesitate  to  put  them  out  of  the  way,  and  joined  Levaux 
at  Port  de  Paix. 

The  peace  of  Basle  in  1795,  which  ceded  the  Spanish  part 
of  thelktanL  to  the  French,  was  the  means  of  augmenting 
the  troops  of  Toussaint,  who  was  now  at  the  head  of  a large 
army,  by  the  adhesion  of  Jean  Francois  and  his  troops. 

Toussaint,  hopeful  at  this  time  of  the  cause  of  his  race, 
took  the  name  of  L’Ouverture,  in  order,  as  he  said,  to 
announce  to  the  colony,  and,  above  all,  to  the  blacks,  that 
he  was  going  to  open  to  them  the  door  of  a better  future. 
^ Although  the  Engliklrwere'''de^rted^'By  their  ailies,  the 
Spaniards,  they  remained,  with  varying  success,  upon  the 
island;  until  in  1797,  the  French  Grovernment  made  Tous- 
j saint  general-in-chief  of  all  the  French  troops  on  the 
island,  an  authority  which  in  effect  he  had  enjoyed  for 
\ some  time  previously. 

The  war  was  then  pursued  with  greater  vigour  against 


the  English,  who,  although  succeeding  in  making  brave 
resistance  against  the  French,  were  finally,  in  1798,  com- 
pelled to  give  up  the  island,  the  troops  under  General 
Maitland  being  withdrawn ; but  not  until  a treaty  of  peace 
and  commerce  had  been  formed  on  the  part  of  the  English 
Government  and  Toussaint, by  which  St  Domingo  was  recog- 
nised as  an  independent  and  neutral  power  during  the  war. 

It  is  related  that  the  English,  in  their  attempts  to  estab- 
lish their  power  on  the  Island  of  St  Domingo,  expended  the 
sum  of  £20,000,000  sterling,  losing  by  disease  and  death 
45,000  men. 


132 


SA^TO  DOJ/T^OO. 


In  the  midst  of  these  operations,  the  year  1795  brought 
a peace  between  France  and  Spain,  the  conditions  of  the 
treaty  of  which  ceded  the  entire  island  to  the  power  of  the 
French;  the  Spanish  troops,  it  being  agreed,  should,  a 
month  after  the  promulgation  of  the  treaty,  vacate  their 
part  of  the  island,  delivering  up  all  the  forts,  ports,  and 
places  occupied  by  them,  as  soon  as  the  French  troops 
should  arrive  to  take  possession — a sad  period  in  the  history 
of  Spanish  St  Domingo. 

In  order  to  consummate  the  terms  of  this  treaty,  the 
French  sent,  to  St  Domingo  city  Commissioner  Roume 
to  confer  with  the  Governor  Garcia  in  the  arrangements 
for  the  details  of  its  fulfilment  as  to  the  cession  of  the 
Spanish  part  to  the  French. 

After  waiting  there  a month,  and  making  all  prepara- 
tions, and  the  French  authorities  not  sending  either  the 
means  or  troops  to  take  possession,  the  commissioner  was 
obliged  to  return  without  having  fully  accomplished  his 
object,  and  the  condition  of  this  part  remained  unaccom- 
plished, from  the  fact  that  the  English  invasion  and  the 
civil  war  prevented  the  commissioners  sending  the  neces- 
sary troops,  so  that  the  Spaniards  remained  in  possession 
until  December  1795.  The  Spanish  Government  having 
then  sent  a fleet  to  take  away  the  troops,  and  such  in- 
habitants as  wished  to  retire  to  other  Spanish  possessions, 
the  opportunity  was  seized  to  transport  the  remains  of 
Columbus,  then  resting  in  the  grand  Cathedral  of  St 
Domingo  city,  -to  the  Cathedral  at  Havana,  where  they  at 
present  remain. 


CHAPTER  YIII. 


Sleep  calmly  in  thy  dungeon  tomb, 
Beneath  Besancon’s  alien  sky, 

Dark  Haytien  ! — ^for  the  time  shall  come. 
Yea,  even  now  is  nigh, 

When  everywhere  thy  name  shall  be 
Redeemed  from  error’s  infamy, 

And  men  shall  speak  of  thee 
As  one  of  earth’s  great  spirits  ! ” 


T(;ussaint’s  Rule — The  Independejice  of  Hayii — Toussaini  takes 
Possession  of  the  Whole  Island^  giidng  it  a Constitution — Affairs 
under  Tons  saint — Napoleon  Attempts  to  Restore  the  Island  to 
the  French — Details  of  Le  Clerds  Expedition — Toussainf s 
Capture — Rebellion  against  the  French — Cristophe  Dess  alines — 
Final  Failure  of  the  French^  and  their  Capture  by  the  English 
Fleet — Dessalines  Marches  against  the  Spanish  Part — His 
Discomfiture — His  Cruelties  in  that  Part  of  the  Island — Becomes 
Emperor — His  C?'uelties  and  Butcheries  of  the  Whites — Co7i 
spiracy  against  Hwi — His  Death. 


TOUSSAINT  L’OUVERTURE,*  one  of  the  most  remark- 
able  characters  in  history,  was  now  in  almost  supreme 
control  of  the  island,  for  though  commissioners  were  sent 
out  from  France,  such  was  the  power  he  wielded  over  the 
people  of  all  classes  and  colours,  that  he  was  able  quietly 

* Toussaint  was  originally  a slave,  but  said  to  be  descended  from  a royal 
chief  in  Africa.  His  early  life  was  exemplary  for  a person  of  his  condition, 
being  passed  upon  a plantation  of  the  Count  de  Noe,  where,  the  overseer 
taking  a fancy  to  him,  he  was  allowed  to  learn  to  read  and  write,  even  picking 
up  some  Latin  and  mathematics  ; and  having  been  promoted  to  be  coachman, 
he  had  increased  opportunities  to  improve  his  mind,  thus  laying  the  founda- 
tion of  that  wisdom  he  afterwards  manifested. 


134 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


to  make  the  commissioners  act  subserviently  to  him  (Tous- 
saint). 

All  authorities  seem  to  agree  that  under  Toussaint  a reign 
of  order  began  in  the  island  that  was  remarkable.  The 
blacks,  proud  to  see  one  of  their  number  in  chief  command 
in  the  island,  looked  up  to  Toussaint  as  a god ; while  he, 
with  a thorough  knowledge  of  his  race,  prescribed  such  rules 
and  orders  as  kept  them  in  a state  of  tranquillity. 

He  ordered  them  all  to  return  to  work,  as  they  were 

before  the  war  ; to  la- 
bour on  the  plantations, 
for  which  they  were 
paid  as  labourers;  and 
he  gave  every  protec- 
tion to  the  whites,  even 
inviting  those  white 
planters  who  had  fled 
the  island  to  return  and 
reoccupy  their  estates. 

Under  his  wise  rule 
St  Domingo  soon  ad- 
vanced in  the  most  rapid 
manner  in  her  agricul- 
tural and  social  pros- 
perity ; but  while  Tous- 
saint was  wise  in  peace, 
he  was  equally  iron- 
handed  in  war,  and 
some  of  the  cruelties 


Toussaint  L’Ouverture. 


perpetrated  upon  the 
mulattoes,  who  at  first  refused  to  recognise  his  supreme 
authority,  tarnish  somewhat  his  fame. 

The  year  1800  saw  the  island  in  a somewhat  more  settled 
state,  the  French  part,  with  the  exception  of  a small  pro- 
vince in  the  south,  where  Rigaud  still  held  out  against  the 
authority  of  Toussaint,  was  in  a comparatively  tranquil  state, 


DUPLICITY  OF  ROUME. 


135 


and  nominally  under  the  authority  of  the  French  Republic, 
which  was  represented  by  the  Commissioner  Roume.  Tous- 
saint  was,  however,  the  real  authority  in  the  island. 

This  chief  was  not  satisfied,  however,  until  he  was  able 
to  claim  that  the  whole  island,  including  the  Spanish  por- 
tion, was  under  his  dominion,  and  he  therefore  proposed  to 
the  Commissioner  Roume  that  the  cession  required  by  the 
tre^y  of  July  1795  should  now  be  carried  out. 

Roume  seems  to  have  been  quite  aware  of  the  ultimate 
intention  of  Toussaint  to  make  himself  independent  of  the 
Government  of  France,  but  considering  it  better  to  hide 
his  suspicions,  he  so  far  assented  to  Toussaint’s  suggestion 
as  to  authorise  him  to  appoint  Generals  Age  and  Chanlette 
the  agents,  with  necessary  powers  to  accomplish  this  transfer 
of  authority.  While  apparently  acting  thus  in  good  faith, 
he,  with  great  duplicity,  secretly  sent  word  to  the  Spanish 
Governor  that  he  should  refuse  to  deliver  up  the  Spanish 
domain,  and  should  manage  to  detain  the  commissioners 
until  a force  from  France  should  have  time  to  reach  St 
Domingo  city,  and  hold  it  for  the  legitimate  authority  of 
France. 

Carrying  out  these  secret  instructions,  the  Spanish 
Governor- General  Garcia  managed  to  comply  so  well,  that 
the  envoys,  who  had  with  them  only  a small  escort,  were 
made  to  believe  that  their  lives  even  were  not  safe  from  the 
Dominicans,  who  would  not  listen  to  the  surrender  of  their 
cit}" ; and  they  returned  to  the  Commissioner  Roume  as 
rapidly  as  possible,  and  made  their  report. 

Upon  the  strength  of  this,  Roume  rescinded  his  order  for 
the  surrender  of  the  Spanish  part ; but  Toussaint,  compre- 
hending the  duplicity  of  the  commissioner,  at  first  im- 
prisoned him,  and  finally  sent  him  out  of  the  country  to 
France. 

The  French  representative  being  now  out  of  the  way,  and 
Rigaud  the  rebellious  subdued,  Toussaint  found  himself  in 
unmolested  supreme  control  of  the  island ; and  deeming  it 


136 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


a favourable  time  to  put  in  operation  a plan  he  had  long 
been  maturing,  he,  on  the  9th  November  1800,  sent  a note 
to  G-eneral  Garcia,  demanding  satisfaction  for  the  insult 
offered  his  officers,  and  advising  him  that  he  should  send 
General  Moise  at  the  head  of  10,000  troops  to  take  pos- 
session of  Spanish  St  Domingo  in  the  name  of  the  Republic 
of  France. 

In  order  to  give  force  to  this  note,  at  the  same  time  he 
despatched  it  he  put  in  motion  the  force  under  General 
Moise,  his  nephew,  by  the  northern  road  through  the  Cibao 
country,  while  he  himself,  at  the  head  of  a column  also  of 
10,000  men,  marched  by  the  southern  route  directly  upon 
St  Domingo  city. 

General  Garcia,  in  command  at  that  place,  made  every 
preparation  to  resist  these  movements,  and  while  sending 
word  to  the  authorities  of  the  Cibao  to  interfere  as  much  as 
possible  with  the  march  of  General  Moise,  he  himself  took 
measures  to  delay  the  march  of  Toussaint  upon  the  capital. 

These  measures  were,  however,  comparatively  ineffectual, 
though  much  annoyance  was  caused  Toussaint  by  the 
activity  of  the  militia  against  his  columns,  until  he  arrived 
at  Naga,  where  a strong  force  in  three  columns  resisted 
him  so  effectually  that  he  was  compelled  to  arrest  his  pro- 
gress and  resort  to  diplomacy  to  carry  out  his  objects. 

This  he  did  by  writing  a note  to  Garcia,  telling  him  that 
he,  Toussaint,  was  surprised  to  find  resistance  on  his 
journey,  which  he  had  not  taken  as  an  invader,  but  as  an 
officer  of  the  French  Republic,  to  carry  out  the  provisions 
of  a treaty  made  with  it  by  Spain. 

General  Garcia,  fearful  that  his  own  conduct  in  the 
matter  would  not  be  sustained  by  his  Government,  and 
satisfying  himself  that  Toussaint  really  had  documents 
that  empowered  him  to  act  for  the  French,  decided  to  cede 
his  authority,  and  on  the  2d  January  1801,  opened  the 
gates  of  St  Domingo  city  to  Toussaint,  who,  at  the  head  of 
liis  troops,  took  possession  of  this  famous  city,  nominally 


EMIGRATION  OF  WHITES. 


137 


for  the  French  Republic,  the  ceremony  being  solemnly 
consummated  by  a Te  Deum  in  the  Grand  Cathedral,  at 
which  the  principal  authorities  and  the  troops  assisted. 

Toussaint  being  in  possession,  there  was  an  immediate 
embarkation  of  a large  number  of  the  inhabitants  ; first, 
the  Governor  and  the  Spanish  officers  and  their  families ; 
the  members  of  the  religious  orders  ; the  most  prominent 
of  the  citizens,  all  of  whom  by  the  treaty  were  permitted 
to  take  with  them  their  property  of  every  kind.  Thus  for 
the  first  time  was  the  island  left  without  the  actual  de- 
scendants of  its  original  discoverers,  and  the  star  of  Spain, 
which  had  blazed  with  such  glory  for  a time  in  the  New 
World,  now  disappeared  from  St  Domingo,  to  reappear 
only  in  later  days  amid  revolution,  persecution,  and  cruelty. 

Added  to  this  emigration  were  all  those  French  and 
their  families  who,  flying  from  the  revolutions  in  the 
western  part,  had  sought  shelter  from  those  troubles  in 
the  Dominican  part,  and  who  now,  having  no  sympathy 
with  the  new  authorities,  took  their  leave  of  the  island  ; 
and,  for  the  same  reason,  many  of  the  native  Dominican 
families,  whose  pride  would  not  permit  them  to  remain  sub- 
ject to  negro  rule,  though  perhaps  many  of  them  counted 
in  their  ancestors  people  of  that  colour. 

These  people  sought  the  various  islands  of  Porto  Rico, 
Cuba,  and  others,  which,  by  this  accession  of  experienced 
planters  of  the  cane  and  cofiee,  reaped  immense  advan- 
tages from  this  culture,  to  which  they  were  really  the  first 
to  give  a scientific  and  systematic  form. 

Thus  the  poor  impoverished  St  Domingo  of  to-day  has 
been  the  innocent  cause  of  benefiting  and  enriching  her 
neighbours,  while  she,  with  more  luxuriant  vegetation, 
richer  soil,  and  better  climate,  awaits  an  emigration  that 
will  bring  peace,  order,  and  riches  to  her  shores. 

It  is  related  that  after  the  surrender,  Toussaint  had  the 
horrible  idea  of  putting  the  remaining  Spanish  inhabitants 
to  the  sword,  and  for  this  purpose  he  ordered  the  populace 


138 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


to  gather  in  the  public  square,  where  he  then  directed  they 
should  be  separated,  the  women  and  children  together,  and 
the  men  by  themselves,  the  different  groups  being  sur- 
rounded by  bodies  of  troops. 

It  is  even  said  that  Toussaint’s  sister-in-law,  knowing  of 
this  intention,  had  passed  the  previous  night  in  prayer, 
asking  God  to  take  away  from  him  such  thought. 

If  he  ever  entertained  such  idea,  he  did  not  proceed  to 
execute  it,  for  though  he  walked  amongst  the  women  asking 
cruel  and  rude  questions,  he  finally,  on  the  approach  of  a 
terrific  storm,  allowed  them  all  to  disperse  without  harm  ; 
an  action  that  the  superstitious  thought  was  the  result  of  a 
miracle  of  the  Lord  in  sending  the  storm  at  that  moment. 

Being  thus  in  possession  of  the  whole  island,  Toussaint 
seems  to  have  with  great  wisdom  arranged  his  plans  to 
benefit  this  part;  and  in  naming  Paul  L’Ouverture,  his 
brother,  as  Governor  of  the  south,  with  headquarters  at 
St  Domingo  city,  and  General  Clervaux  in  command  of 
the  north,  with  headquarters  at  Santiago,  he  gave  to  the 
Spanish  part  of  the  island  officers  who,  by  their  wisdom 
and  judgment,  were  acceptable  to  the  Dominicans. 

Having  arranged  his  authority  satisfactorily  in  this  part 
of  the  island,  Toussaint,  by  a circuitous  route,  returned  to 
the  western  part ; it  being  stated  his  journey  was  a perfect 
ovation  from  its  beginning  to  its  end ; and  the  inhabitants 
looked  forward  under  his  rule  to  a season  of  peace  and 
prosperity, — a future  they  had  a right  to  expect,  since,  for 
the  first  time  in  its  history,  the  whole  island  was  united 
under  one  government.  Efforts  were  made,  by  systematising 
the  laws,  improving  the  means  of  communication,  and 
opening  the  ports  of  the  island  to  the  commerce  of  the 
world,  to  restore  it  to  a peaceful  place  in  the  political 
world. 

To  better  consummate  this,  Toussaint,  who  had  long- 
meditated  his  plans,  determined  to  declare  the  island 
independent  of  any  European  power ; and  having  formed 


^^cultivators:' 


139 


the  plau  of  a constitution  for  the  island,  in  which  he  was 
assisted  by  several  Europeans  (Pascal,  Abbe  Moliere,  and  \ 
Maunil),  it  was  submitted  to  a general  assembly  of  repre-  \ 
sentatives  convened  from  every  district,  by  whom  it  was-^ 
approved  and  adopted.  Afterwards  it  was  promulgated  in 
the  name  of  the  people  ; and  in  July  1801,  the  island  was 
declared  independent,  with  Toussaint  L’O overture  as  its 
supreme  chief. 

Unfortunately  for  himself  and  his  country,  he  held  this 
position  but  a short  time. 

The  autumn  of  the  year  1801  found  every  part  of  St 
Domingo  in  quiet  submission  to  the  authority  of  Toussaint, 
rapidly  improving  in  wealth  and  happiness. 

Agriculture  had  been  re-established,  and  many  of  the 
French  planters  had  returned  and  taken  possession  of  their 
old  estates,  though  they  had  no  longer  any  slaves.  This  » 
name  had  given  way  to  that  of  cultivators,”  and  the  law  had 
fixed  that  they  should  receive  for  their  labour  one- third  of 
the  crops.  While  thus  offering  liberal  rewards  to  industry, 
heavy  penalties  were  inflicted  for  idleness. 

The  negro  population,  owing  to  these  wise  regulations, 
which  gave  them  greater  ease  and  more  abundant  food,  was 
rapidly  increasing  in  numbers. 

Among  the  better  classes,  following  the  example  set  by 
their  former  French  masters,  a great  degree  of  luxury,  and 
even  elegance,  was  maintained,  many  of  their  houses  being 
furnished  in  the  most  sumptuous  manner. 

In  their  social  life  there  was  a great  degree  of  ease, 
cordiality,  and  even  refinement ; churches  were  opened, 
and  religious  ceremonies,  according  to  the  Romish  Church, 
performed;  dramatic  exhibitions  were  given,  and  some  at- 
tention paid  even  to  music  and  painting. 

Such  was  the  state  of  affairs  when,  the  hostilities  between 
Great  Britain  and  France  having  ceased,  Bonaparte, 
who  now  held  the  position  of  First  Consul,  was  able  to 
turn  his  attention  to  St  Domingo,  and  determined  to 
12 


140 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


re-occupy  that  island  for  France  by  sending  out  a large 
expedition. 

In  the  harbours  of  Brest,  L’ Orient,  and  Rochfort,  a 
squadron  of  twenty-six  vessels  was  collected  in  the  month 
of  December  1801,  and  on  board  this  fleet  was  a force  of 
25,000  men,  completely  armed  and  equipped.  In  com- 
mand of  this  force  was  Napoleon’s  brother-in-law,  General 
Le  Clerc,  and  with  him  were  many  other  distinguished 
officers,  Rochambeau  being  in  command  of  one  of  the 
divisions;  Villaret  was  the  admiral-in-chief;  while  Ma- 
dame Le  Clerc  accompanied  her  husband  to  participate  in 
his  triumphs. 

On  the  28th  January"  1802,  this  fleet  arrived  in  the  Bay 
of  Samana.  Three  divisions  were  immediately  sent  to  dif- 
ferent parts  of  the  island.  General  Kerverseau  was  sent 
with  one  division  to  St  Domingo  city.  General  Boudet  with 
another  to  Port-au-Prince,  while  Le  Clerc  himself,  with 
the  rest  of  his  troops,  except  a detachment  sent  to  Manza- 
nilla  Bay,  went  to  Cape  Francois. 

St  Domingo  city,  after  some  resistance,  and  through  the 
strategy  of  a native  Dominican,  Colonel  Baron,  in  getting 
possession  of  some  instructions  from  Toussaint  to  his 
brother  Paul  in  command  of  this  city,  fell  into  the  hands 
of  the  French  under  Kerverseau,  the  20th  February  1802; 
while  at  the  same  time  General  Ferrand  received  the  sub- 
mission of  General  Clervaux  in  command  of  the  negro  forces 
of  the  Cibao. 

Thus  the  Spanish  part  immediately  came  under  the  do- 
minion of  the  French  authorities.  Kerverseau,  as  having 
been  the  chief  of  the  expeditionary  force,  assumed  command 
of  the  colony,  remaining  at  St  Domingo  city,'  where  he 
governed,  it  is  said,  with  such  strictness  and  severity, 
that  the  Dominicans  soon  grew  weary  and  restless  under 
him. 

As  this  capitulation  had  been  brought  about  by  the 
Dominicans  making  an  attempt  to  assist  with  arms  the 


FRENCH  OPERATIONS. 


141 


efforts  of  the  French,  Toussaint  L’Ouverture,  when  he  re- 
ceived the  news  of  the  fall  of  this  capital,  which  he  had 
directed  should  be  defended  to  the  last  extremity,  revenged 
himself  in  the  most  cruel  manner  by  murdering  in  cold 
blood  nearly  the  whole  of  a regiment  of  Dominicans  who 
were  at  Port-au-Prince  with  him,  having  taken  the  pre- 
caution to  disarm  them,  and  send  them  under  escort  to  a 
place  called  Verette. 

At  St  Domingo  city,  General  Ferrand,  claiming  to  be  the 
superior  officer,  had  deposed  General  Kerverseau  from  his 
office,  and  imprisoned  him  for  refusing  to  recognise  his 
authority,  finally  sending  him  (Kerverseau)  to  France  as  a 
prisoner,  after  which  Ferrand  appears  to  have  devoted  him- 
self with  great  zeal  and  energy  to  the  material  welfare  of 
that  part  of  the  island,  improving  the  capital  by  seeking  to 
bring  to  it  the  waters  of  the  river  Higiiero,  in  the  vicinity. 

Meanwhile  a terrible  state  of  affairs  was  existing  in  the 
western  part  of  the  island. 

General  Rochambeau,  on  the  2d  February,  landed  at 
Fort  Dauphin,  on  the  north  coast;  and  before  any  demand 
of  any  kind  was  made  upon  the  authorities,  the  troops  w^ere 
landed  on  the  beach  in  line  of  battle ; and  a number  of  the 
negroes  having  gathered  there  in  mere  curiosity,  were  put 
to  the  bayonet,  and  the  fort  immediately  taken  by  the 
French. 

The  next  day,  the  main  body  of  the  fleet  and  army,  under 
Villaret  and  Le  Clerc,  arrived  off  Cape  Francois,  and  im- 
mediate preparations  w’ere  made  to  laud  and  take  posses- 
sion of  the  town.  Henry  Cristophe,  a black  man,  who  sub- 
sequently became  famous  as  well  as  infamous,  was  then  in 
command  of  the  district  of  the  Cape  as  general  of  brigade, 
and  on  the  approach  of  the  fleet  he  sent  a messenger  on 
board  to  inform  its  commander  that  his  superior  governor. 
General  Toussaint,  was  absent  at  present ; and  such  being 
the  case,  he  could  not  permit  the  French  to  land  a single 
soldier  until  orders  had  been  received  from  Toussaint.  In 


142 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


case,  he  declared  also,  the  French  should  refuse  to  await 
these  instructions,  and  should  attempt  to  force  a landing, 
all  the  white  inhabitants  would  be  considered  as  hostages 
for  their  conduct,  and  that  an  attack  on  the  town  would  be 
followed  by  its  immediate  conflagration. 

Le  Clerc  immediately  replied,  that  if,  in  the  course  of  the 
day,  the  forts  Picolet  and  Belair,  with  all  the  batteries  on 
the  coast,  were  not  surrendered,  he  should  land  his  forces 
the  next  day  at  daybreak. 

Cristophe  replied  to  this  letter,  refusing  to  comply  with 
the  demand,  and  stating  that  he  would  make  such  a 
defence  as  became  a general  officer.” 

A deputation  of  the  inhabitants  also  waited  on  the 
French  general,  and,  with  the  Mayor  at  their  head,  begged 
him  to  make  no  attempt  on  the  city,  as  the  blacks  would 
certainly  put  all  the  white  people  to  the  sword.  Le  Clerc 
received  this  deputation  politely,  gave  them  some  proclama- 
tions to  circulate,  and  refused  their  request. 

On  the  6th  February  he  landed  his  troops  some  distance 
below  the  town,  but  sailed  his  fleet  up  to  the  mole  of  the 
city.  Cristophe,  however,  no  sooner  received  news  of  this 
movement,  than,  knowing  the  town  to  be  indefensible,  he 
set  fire  to  it,  and  withdrew  with  his  troops  and  some  2000 
white  inhabitants,  to  whom,  though  he  had  threatened  to 
do  so,  he  did  no  harm. 

News  had  by  this  time  reached  Toussaint,  who  was  in 
the  interior  of  the  island,  of  the  state  of  affairs,  and  with 
immediate  promptness  he  issued  orders  putting  the  island 
in  a state  of  defence  against  the  French. 

It  was  at  this  time  that  Toussaint  was  endeavoured, 
through  the  medium  of  his  children,  to  be  seduced  into 
giving  in  his  allegiance  to  the  French. 

Two  of  his  sons  had  been  sent  to  France  to  be  educated, 
and  had  now  reached  quite  mature  years,  one  being  almost 
of  age.  These  sons  the  French  Government  had  sent  out 
on  the  expedition,  in  hopes  that  through  them  Toussaint’s 


NEGOTIATIONS  WITH  TOUSSAINT. 


143 


sympathies  would  be  worked  upon  to  yield  without  a con- 
flict the  dominion  of  the  island. 

Under  the  escort  of  their  tutor,  they  were  sent  out  to 
the  home  of  their  father,  some  ten  miles  from  the  Cape, 
Toussaint  having  passed  his  word,  which  even  his  enemies 
say  was  never  broken,  that  the  children  and  their  tutor 
should  be  returned  in  safety,  without  regard  to  the  result 
of  their  interview. 

At  the  same  time,  Le  Clerc  sent  an  epistle,  written  by 
Bonaparte,  and  addressed  to  Toussaint,  in  which  he  was 
promised  all  manner  of  honours  if  he  would  give  in  his 
allegiance,  while  the  tutor  was  instructed  to  make  every 
effort,  through  the  children,  to  induce  Toussaint  to  accede 
to  these  proposals.  It  is  only  necessary  to  say  here,  that 
these  offers  were  all  unsuccessful ; that  Toussaint,  with  a 
great  effort,  sent  back  his  children  in  these  words,  Take 
back  my  children,  since  it  must  be  so.  I will  be  faithful  to 
my  brethren  and  my  God.” 

Negotiations  failing,  Le  Clerc  issued  proclamations  ad- 
dressed to  the  cultivators  ” of  the  island,  endeavouring 
to  enlist  them  against  their  severe  tyrant  and  master,” 
and  in  many  ways  directing  their  attention  to  the  hardships 
Toussaint  had  put  upon  them. 

To  the  black  soldiers  and  officers  he  made  tempting 
offers ; and  as  many  of  these  were  ambitious  for  themselves 
and  jealous  of  their  chief,  numbers  were  induced  to  join  the 
French ; while  the  most  ignorant  cultivators,  seeing  these 
things,  and  probably  indifferent  so  long  as  they  remained 
unmolested,  took  no  active  part. 

The  campaign  was  opened  by  Le  Clerc ; and  then  com- 
menced a terrible  war,  that  for  months  devastated  again 
this  beautiful  land,  in  which,  with  varying  success, 
thousands  of  lives  were  lost  on  both  sides.  But  as  Le 
Clerc  was  constantly  joined  by  negro  troops  and  officers 
who  became  tired  of  the  war,  and  who  doubtless  believed 
they  would  be  as  well  off  under  French  as  negro  rule,  the 


144 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


island  would  probably  have  soon  again  returned  to  the 
dominion  of  France,  had  it  not  been  for  a fatal  mistake  of 
policy. 

Le  Clerc,  carried  away  by  his  success,  and  thinking  he 
had  no  further  obstacles  to  overcome  in  the  reconquest  ot 
the  island,  came  out  boldly  with  the  original  programme 
of  the  expedition. 

This  was  to  declare  the  negroes  restored  to  their  former 
owners,  or  their  attorneys,  a proceeding  which,  being  an- 
nounced to  the  inhabitants  of  the  island  by  a proclamation 
issued  in  March,  fell  amongst  them  like  a bombshell,  as 
every  promise  had  been  given  all  classes  that  slavery  would 
not  be  re-established  on  the  island  by  the  French. 

Toussaint  was  far  too  wise  a man  not  to  avail  himself  of 
this  weapon  that  the  French  had  placed  in  his  hands ; for, 
knowing  full  well  the  spirit  of  his  race,  he  felt  he  could 
now  count  upon  them,  even  to  the  humble  cultivator,  with 
safety,  and  he  therefore  immediately  arranged  his  plans  to 
prosecute  the  war  with  renewed  energy,  and  joining  his 
forces  with  those  of  Cristophe,  he  left  the  shelter  of  the 
mountains  for  the  sea-coast,  where  the  cultivators,  the  class 
most  interested  in  the  French  proclamation,  were  in  the 
largest  numbers.  Wherever  Toussaint  went,  he  called  upon 
the  blacks,  however,  of  every  class  to  take  arms  and  join 
him  ; and  this  they  did  to  such  an  extent  that  he  was  soon 
able  to  drive  the  French  of  the  north  into  the  town  of 
Cape  Francois,  which  he  would  undoubtedly  have  captured, 
had  it  not  been  that  the  French  hastened  to  concentrate 
their  forces  at  that  place. 

Such  was  the  congregation  of  their  forces  at  this  place, 
and  so  closely  were  they  besieged,  that  large  numbers  fell 
a prey  to  a pestilence  which  broke  out  among  the  troops. 

Le  Clerc,  finding  himself  thus  cornered  in  the  island,  and 
powerless  to  take  active  measures,  resorted  to  diplomacy, 
and  issued  another  proclamation,  dated  April  25th,  which 
he  caused  to  be  distributed  among  the  blacks. 


TOUSSAINrS  CAPTURE. 


145 


This  set  forth  that  when  he  first  arrived  in  the  island 
ke  was  not  familiar  with  the  condition  of  its  affairs,  and 
that  therefore  some  mistakes  had  been  committed,  and  that 
in  order  to  remedy  these,  and  provide  for  the  peace  and 
welfare  of  the  island  and  the  liberty  of  its  inhabitants, 
an  assembly  should  be  called  of  representatives  from  dif- 
ferent parts  of  the  colony,  without  regard  to  colour. 
Negotiations  were  also  opened  with  Cristophe  to  bring 
the  prominent  officers  and  their  troops  to  terms. 

Although  the  terms,  as  proposed  by  Cristophe,  were  not 
very  palatable  to  the  French,  they  were  finally  accepted ; 
and  by  the  beginning  of  May  a peace  was  concluded  with 
Toussaint,  and  the  subordinates  and  troops  under  him,  by 
which  the  dominion  of  France  over  the  whole  island  was 
duly  acknowledged  by  all  the  inhabitants. 

One  act  of  treachery  on  the  part  of  the  French  remained, 
however,  yet  to  be  performed ; for  Toussaint,  having  retired 
with  his  family  to  a small  plantation  near  Gronaives,  was, 
in  the  middle  of  the  very  month  in  which  the  treaty  of 
peace  had  been  made,  taken  prisoner  at  midnight  with  all 
his  family,  and  taken  on  board  a French  frigate  which  had 
sailed  into  the  harbour  in  the  dead  of  night.  From  thence 
he  was  transferred  to  the  frigate  Hero^  sent  to  France, 
where,  being  placed  in  close  confinement,  first  in  the  dun- 
geons of  Joux,  and  afterwards  in  those  of  Besangon,  he 
died,  as  it  is  su]3posed,  of  starvation,  the  fact  of  his  death- 
being  announced  in  the  French  gazettes  of  April  27,  1803. 

This  breach  of  faith  on  the  part  of  the  French  opened 
the  eyes  of  the  negroes  to  their  ultimate  designs ; and 
Le  Clerc  having  assumed  the  rank  of  Governor-General  of 
the  island,  and  issued  a decree  giving  a new  form  of 
government,  some  of  the  compatriots  of  Toussaint  took 
alarm,  and  immediately  placed  themselves  at  the  head  of 
some  bodies  of  negro  troops.  Most  prominent  of  these 
chiefs  were  Dessalines,  Cristophe,  and  Clervaux. 

A rising  took  j)lace  also  about  thus  time  in  the  interior 


146 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


among  the  mountains,  of  other  chiefs,  one  of  whom  was 
a nephew  of  Toussaint ; and  the  whole  island  was  soon 
ablaze  with  the  fires  of  the  insurrectionists,  so  that  the 
French  were  soon  busily  occupied  in  their  new  efforts  to 
subjugate  the  island. 

A chapter  of  horrors  might  easily  he  written  from  the 
events  that  followed.  French  writers  themselves  speak  of 
the  scenes  then  enacted  with  loathing  and  disgust,  and  it 
is  not  perhaps  to  be  wondered  at  that,  when  the  negroes 
came  into  power,  they  retaliated  upon  the  French  some  of 
the  revolting  cruelties  that  had  been  practised  upon  their 
-X)wn  people  the  officers  and  soldiers  of  that  nation. 

^ To  this  day  almost,  Les  Noyades  ” of  the  French  are 
1 spoken  of  with  horror  ; for  their  usual  method  of  disposing 
of  their  prisoners,  by  making  them  kneel  on  the  edge  of  a 
trench  some  twenty  or  thirty  feet  in  depth,  and  then 
shooting  them  until  the  trench  was  filled  by  their  dead 
bodies,  was  deemed  too  tedious  and  troublesome : as  an 
easier  means  the  negroes  were  placed  in  vessels,  carried 
out  some  distance  to  sea,  and,  being  chained  together, 
.were  forced  overboard  and  drowned. 

Such  was  the  French  civilisation  that  was  desired  to  he 
introduced  into  the  island ; hut  some  of  their  refinements 
were  truly  of  a classic  kind,  for,  following  the  example  of 
the  ancient  Romans,  they  had  their  arenas,  in  which  the 
.performers  were  naked  negroes  and  ferocious  bloodhounds, 
brought  from  Cuba  expressly  to  hunt  this  kind  of  game. 

Retribution  followed  these  deeds,  it  would  appear ; for 
the  commander-in-chief,  Le  Clerc,  worn  out  with  troubles 
of  body  and  mind,  died  on  the  island,  and  his  corpse  was 
sent  to  France,  followed  by  his  apparently  inconsolable 
widow. 

Rochamheau  succeeded  to  the  command,  hut  long  months 
were  spent  without  the  French  making  headway ; in  fact, 
they  were  gradually  losing  their  hold,  foot  by  foot,  notwith- 
standing that  new  troops  had  been  sent  out  from  France, 


MUTUAL  ATROCITIES. 


147 


until,  at  the  beginning  of  1803,  the  French  were  again 
cooped  up  in  Cape  Francois. 

Here  the  negro  chief  of  the  besiegers,  Dessalines,  gave 
an  idea  of  the  character  which  he  was  later  to  develop  into 
brutal  bloodthirstiness.  In  one  of  the  engagements  the 
French  had  captured  some  500  prisoners,  and  without 
taking  into  consideration  that  numbers  of  their  own  men 
were  in  the  hands  of  the  enemy,  the  French  general  ordered 
them  all  to  be  put  to  death.  ^ 

When  this  news  reached  Dessalines,  he  at  once  ordered 
500  gibbets  to  be  erected,  and  selecting  all  the  French 
officers  he  had  in  his  power,  and  adding  a sufficient  number 
of  privates  to  make  up  the  total  to  500,  he  caused  them  all 
to  be  hung  up  at  break  of  day  in  sight  of  the  French  army. 

In  the  spring  of  this  year,  war  had  been  again  declared 
between  England  and  France ; and  in  July  an  English 
fleet  appeared  off  the  harbour  of  Cape  Francois. 

Dessalines  immediately  opened  communication  with  its 
commander,  asking  his  co-operation  against  their  common 
enemy ; and  although  the  latter  declined  positively  to  accede 
to  this  request,  yet  the  efforts  of  the  fleet  in  blockading 
the  sea  front  of  Cape  Francois,  materially  assisted  Dessa- 
lines, who,  with  his  troops,  cut  off  communication  by  land 
for  the  French. 

Notwithstanding  this,  the  French  held  out  until  Novem- 
ber, being  reduced,  however,  to  the  extremity  of  feeding  on 
the  very  dogs  of  the  place ; and  Dessalines  at  that  time 
making  his  preparations  to  storm  the  town,  Rochambeau 
deemed  it  best  to  make  terms  for  its  surrender,  and  the 
withdrawal  of  the  French  from  the  island. 

Articles  were  signed  on  the  19th  November  with  Dessa- 
lines, by  which  it  was  permitted  to  the  French  to  evacuate 
Cape  Francois  and  all  its  forts,  with  the  munitions  of  war 
pertaining  thereto,  while  they  were  to  be  allowed  to  retire 
on  board  their  ships,  with  all  their  private  property;  the 
sick  and  wounded  were  to  be  left  in  the  hospitals,  to  be 


148 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


taken  care  of  by  the  blacks  till  tbey  were  sufficiently 
recovered  to  be  sent  back  to  France  in  neutral  vessels. 

Notwithstanding  these  terms  showed  much  liberality 
and  great  kindness  of  feeling  on  the  part  of  Dessalines, 
the  French  were  not  satisfied  without  attempting  to  com- 
mit another  act  of  treachery  with  their  black  enemies  ; for 
on  the  very  day  of  the  meeting  with  Dessalines,  the  French 
endeavoured  to  treat  with  the  commander  of  the  English 
fleet  for  the  surrender  to  him  of  the  city,  but  in  this  they 
were  not  successful. 

This  coming  to  the  ears  of  Dessalines,  the  surrender  of 
the  city  was  immediately  demanded,  and  the  flag  of  the 
negroes  was,  on  the  30th  November,  placed  on  the  walls  of 
the  city,  the  French  retiring  to  their  ships,  where  they 
were  in  a state  of  great  alarm  ; for  the  blacks,  it  is  pre- 
sumed for  their  meditated  treachery,  had  threatened  to 
sink  the  ships  of  the  French  with  hot  shot. 

The  English,  who  had  been  watching  off  the  harbour,  in 
expectation  of  capturing  this  fleet,  had  a message  sent  them 
by  the  French  commander  that  he  was  willing  to  surrender 
to  them,  to  escape  the  threatened  attack  of  the  blacks  ; and 
the  English  commander  having  accepted  the  terms  pro- 
posed, the  negro  authorities  were  notified  that  the  French 
fleet  was  under  the  protection  of  the  British  flag,  and  were 
therefore  requested  to  commit  no  hostile  act. 

As  soon  as  the  wind  permitted,  the  French  fleet  sailed 
out  of  the  harbour  with  its  flags  flying,  but  as  soon  as 
they  were  outside  these  were  hauled  down,  the  broadsides  of 
the  vessels  fired,  and  the  fleet  surrendered. 

Shortly  after,  the  small  force  remaining  on  the  island  at 
St  Nicholas’  mole  took  its  departure,  and  thus  the  power  of 
Napoleon  was  lost  for  ever  on  that  part  of  the  island. 

Dessalines  now  devoted  himself  to  placing  the  island  in 
a condition  to  benefit  by  the  new  state  of  affairs,  and 
amongst  other  things,  in  order  to  allay  the  fears  of  the 
whites  remaining  on  the  island,  issued  a proclamation  pro- 


DESSALINES. 


149 


mising  protection  and  safety  to  all,  stating  that  the  war 
that  was  just  ended  had  been  in  no  wise  carried  on  against 
the  people  of  the  colony.  A proclamation  having  been 
issued  the  day  before  the  evacuation  of  the  French,  signed 
by  Generals  Clervaux,  Cristophe,  and  Dessalines,  declaring 
the  island  independent,  a formal  declaration  took  place  to 
this  effect  on  the  1st  day  of  January  1804,  signed  by  all 
the  chiefs  and  generals  of  the  army,  in  the  name  of  the 
people  of  Hayti,  a name  which  had  been  determined  on  for 
the  new  republic.  Jean  Jacques  Dessalines  was  declared 
Governor-General  for  life,  with  power  to  enact  laws,  to  make 
peace  and  war,  and  to  nominate  his  successor — powers  of 
which  he  made  most  horrible  use. 

Dessalines  has  become  one  of  the  most  prominent  charac- 
ters in  the  history  of  Hayti;  and  his  indiscriminate  slaughter 
of  the  whites  in  the  island,  to  whom  he  had  promised  pro- 
tection, would  cover  his  name  with  eternal  infamy,  were  he 
otherwise  a god.  On  the  contrary,  he  was  a rude,  unculti- 
vated, illiterate  negro,  who,  by  force  of  circumstances, 
strong  physique,  and  undoubted  bravery,  came  to  have  the 
power  of  life  and  death  over  thousands  of  human  beings, 
the  lowest  of  whom  was  perhaps  his  superior  in  those 
feelings  which  are  but  the  natural  adjuncts  of  man. 

His  first  act  was  to  encourage  the  emigration  from  the 
United  States  of  blacks  and  mulattoes.  He  offered  $40 
per  head  to  the  captains  of  American  vessels  for  each  indi- 
vidual of  colour  they  should  return  to  Hayti.  He  offered  to 
open  his  ports  to  the  slave  ships,  and  to  allow  the  people 
of  Jamaica  the  exclusive  privilege  of  selling  negroes  in 
Hayti,  to  be  limited  to  men  only.  This  he  did  on  the  plea 
that  he  wanted  recruits  for  his  army,  and  that  so  many 
slaves  would  be  brought  from  Africa  that  his  plan  would 
secure  them  from  slavery  elsewhere,  while  making  them 
freemen  in  Hayti. 

Hardly  established  in  his  position  of  Governor  for  life, 
this  monster  in  human  form  issued  a proclamation  for  the 


150 


SAI^TO  DOMINGO. 


purpose  of  inciting  the  blacks  to  murder  all  the  French 
on  the  island,  stating  a long  list  of  the  crimes  they  had 
committed  against  the  blacks,  and  appealing  to  the  love 
. of  the  latter  for  dead  parents,  brothers,  &c.,  to  rise 
/ up  and  revenge  themselves.  This,  however,  not  being 
acted  upon  by  the  people  or  troops,  he  himself,  with  his 
soldiers,  proceeded  to  different  towns,  and  murdered, 
in  cold  blood,  the  French,  making  no  distinction  of  age 
or  sex. 

At  Cape  Francois,  not  being  satisfied  that  he  had  success- 
fully  accomplished  his  object,  he  issued  a proclamation 
^ announcing  that  justice  (?)  was  satisfied,  and  inviting  all 
who  had  escaped  the  massacre  to  appear  on  parade.  When 
they  did  so,  they  were  taken  and  shot ; and  it  is  related  that 
the  little  stream  that  runs  through  the  town  was  actually 
discoloured  by  the  blood  of  the  slain. 

General  Ferrand  remained  in  possession  of  St  Domingo 
city  with  a small  French  garrison  ; and  although  at  first  a 
number  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  Spanish  part  had  quietly 
accepted  the  Haytian  Government,  they  had  eventually 
sided  with  the  French,  and  during  the  troubles  of  the 
blacks  in  the  west,  many  of  the  French  and  their  families 
had  sought  refuge  among  the  Spaniards,  where,  it  is  said, 
their  intelligence  and  example  was  having  a good  effect 
upon  the  progress  of  that  part. 

No  sooner,  however,  had  Dessalines  arranged  affairs  in  the 
west,  than  he  set  about  compelling  the  Spanish  part  of  the 
island  to  submit  to  the  Haytian  rule. 

This  movement  was,  besides,  quickened  by  an  impolitic 
order  that  General  Ferrand  had  issued,  that  the  Domini- 
cans should  make  slaves  of  all  prisoners  of  either  sex,  of 
more  than  fourteen  years  old,  that  they  should  take  from 
the  Haytian  s. 

In  order  to  accomplish  this  movement  with  certain  suc- 
cess, Dessalines  had  endeavoured  to  keep  his  preparations 
secret ; but  Ferrand,  getting  information,  made  every  pre- 


DISCOMFITURE  OF  DESSALINES. 


161 


paration  to  protect  the  capital,  placing  guns  in  position 
even  on  the  roofs  of  the  churches  and  convents. 

Dessalines  having  previously  caused  to  be  circulated 
among  the  Spaniards  proclamations  in  which  he  threatened 
all  manner  of  evils  in  case  of  resistance,  put  himself  in 
march  from  Cape  Francois  on  the  14th  May  1805,  and 
taking  a circuitous  route  through  the  western  and  southern 
provinces  of  the  west,  he  finally  crossed  the  frontier  with  a 
force  of  25,000  men. 

The  Dominicans  united  with  the  French ; and  such  a 
terror  had  Dessalines’  name  spread  over  the  island  by  his 
cruelties,  that  the  very  slaves  in  the  Spanish  part  took  arms 
against  him  in  favour  of  their  masters,  whose  kind  treat- 
ment had  strengthened  their  attachment. 


Notwithstanding  these  resistances,  which  assumed  only 
the  form  of  guerilla  attacks  against  so  large  a force,  Des- 
salines’ troops  succeeded  in  getting  possession  ,of  Azua, 
Santiago,  and  other  places  of  any  importance,  and  finally 
sat  down  before  the  capital ; but  he  met  here  with  such  a 
vigorous  resistance,  that  he  was  compelled  to  arrange  his 
plans  for  a regular  siege,  when  the  arrival  of  a French  fieet 
off  the  harbour  interfered  with  their  consummation,  and  he 
therefore  determined  to  retire  suddenly  upon  the  region  of 
the  Cibao.  This  he  did  by  forced  marches,  laying  waste  the 
whole  country  as  he  passed  along,  and  murdering  the 
inhabitants  wherever  he  found  them.  Such  was  the  depre- 
dation he  committed,  that  it  was  years  before  Spanish  St 
Domingo  recovered  from  the  desolation  and  misery  he 
caused. 

On  his  return  from  this  expedition,  Dessalines  had  himself 
made  .Emperor,  the  empire  being  made  into  six  military 
divisions,  commanded  each  by  a general,  who  corresponded 
directly  with  the  head  of  the  Government.  The  constitu- 
tion by  wliich  the  empire  was  purported  to  be  formed  was 
signed  by  twenty-three  men  professing  to  have  been  ap- 
pointed as  representatives  of  the  people  ; and  in  it  were  some 


t 


152  SANTO  DOMINGO. 


.]  singular  declarations,  such  as  the  exclusion  of  white  men 
^ \ from  acquiring  property  ; the  general  name  of  blacks  ” for 
all  the  subjects  of  Hayti,  of  whatever  colour  ; the  suspension 
of  citizenship  by  bankruptcy ; every  citizen  was  also  re- 
quired to  profess  some  mechanical  art. 

The  condition  and  treatment  of  the  cultivators  was  ao-ain 


u 


4 


prescribed  by  law  as  formerly,  and  they  worked  the  estates, 
manj^  of  which  had  now  become  the  property  of  the  state, 
though  the  illegitimate  children  of  former  owners  were 
allowed  to  make  claims. 

The  sugar  plantations  had  been  mostly  all  destroyed ; they 
have  never  since  been  restored  in  any  number.  The  chief 
produce  then  (1805)  was,  as  it  is  to-day,  coffee,  of  which 
about  fifty  ordinary  shiploads  were  produced. 

The  population  numbered  at  this  time  about  400,000 
souls,  the  women  being  in  a large  majority.  In  fact,  the 
cultivators  were  nearly  all  of  this  sex,  so  rapidly  had  the 
war  carried  off  the  men.  After  the  expulsion  of  the  French, 
Dessalines  was  in  great  fear  that  they  would  return,  and  he 
therefore  used  every  means  to  strengthen  his  army  and 
increase  his  resources.  At  this  time  the  regular  army 
amounted  to  about  15,000  men,  1500  of  whom  were  cavalry. 
Although  well  armed  and  drilled,  they  were  badly  uniformed. 
To  this  force  the  militia  was  endeavoured  to  be  made  a 
strong  adjunct,  every  adult  male  being  compelled  to  be 
drilled. 

In  case  of  another  invasion,  Dessalines  had  so  arranged 
his  plans  that  the  troops  were  to  withdraw  to  the  hills  and 
mountains,  after  having  destroyed  the  towns  and  laid  waste 
the  plain  country  ; and  for  this  purpose  a series  of  forts  were 
erected  on  the  tops  of  hills  within  support  of  each  other, 
and  the  ground  in  their  vicinity  planted  with  such  fruits 
and  vegetables  as  would  serve  for  food. 


Dessalines,  however,  did  not  live  long  to  preside  over  his 
empire ; for  his  natural  disposition  to  cruelty,  increased  by 
the  power  with  which  he  was  possessed,  at  last  passed  all 


DEATH  OF  DESSALINES. 


153 


bounds,  and  the  horrible  deeds  he  committed,  without  the 
sanction  of  either  law  or  justice,  roused  the  people  to  rebel 
against  his  rule  ; and  his  life  was  ended  by  some  of  his  own 
soldiers,  who,  in  arms  against  him,  ambushed  him  at^Ehe' 
‘‘  Pont  Rouo-e.”  a short  distance  from  “ Port-au-Prince,” 
the  17th  October  1806, — shooting  him,  it  is  said,  as  he 
charged  fearlessly  upon  them  with  only  a walking-stick  for 
a weapoiL  --- 


CHAPTER  IX. 


“And  Hayti,  from  her  mountain  land, 
Shall  send  the  sons  of  those  who  hurled 
Defiance  from  her  blazing  strand 
The  war-gage  from  her  Petion’s  hand, 
Alone  against  a hostile  world.” 


The  Whole  Island  U?iited  under  one  Government — Dessalines* 
Successors — Cristophe  arid  Petion — Civil  War — Peace  between 
the  two  Chiefs — Troubles  in  the  Spanish  Part — The  Expulsion 
of  the  French — Co-operation  of  the  English — Restoration  of  the 
Authority  of  Spain.  Rebellion  against  her  Rule — Death  of 
Cristopheand  Petion — Boyer  s Rule — Allegiance  of  the  Spafiish 
Part  to  him — Condition  of  the  Island — French  Claims — Boyers 
Decline — The  Republic  of  Dominica. 

An  the  death  of  Dessalines,  the  power  naturally  fell  into 
^ the  hands  of  Henry  Cristophe,  the  second  in  command 
of  the  army,  whom  we  have  already  seen  acting  so  decidedly 
against  General  Le  Clerc  at  Cape  Francois. 

Petion,  a mulatto,  however,  put  forth  his  claim  to  be  the 
chief  ruler,  though  Cristophe  immediately  assumed  the 
title  of  “ Chief  of  the  Government  of  Hayti ; ” and  civil 
war  was  again  produced  by  the  contention  of  these  two 
chiefs. 

Horrible  and  tyrannical  as  became  the  after  career  of 
Cristophe,  there  is  no  question  that  he  began  his  reign  in 
a wise  and  most  judicious  manner,  that  would  have  resulted 
eventually  in  great  benefits  to  the  island  ; but  it  seems  a 
peculiarity  of  the  negroes  in  power  in  this  island,  that  no 
sooner  do  they  begin  to  feel  a little  assured  in  their  posi- 


PETION. 


155 


tions,  than  the  negro  instinct  of  display,  love  of  power,  or 
some  inherent  element  of  cruelty,  induces  them  to  commit 
acts  that  bring  on  their  own  ruin,  while  horrifying  the 
world  with  deeds  of  bloodshed.  Unfortunately  the  acts  of  the 
white  man  in  such  periods  do  not  permit  us  to  claim  much 
more  for  him  on  the  score  of  humanity. 

Hardly  had  Cristophe  assumed  the  reins  of  power  than 
the  rival  candidate,  Petion,  placed  himself  in  opposition 
to  him ; and  it  is  with  some  little  pleasure  that  the  eye, 
running  over  the  pages  of  the  history  of  this  time,  finds  in 
the  person  of  this  new  chief  some  solid  elements  of  civilisa- 
tion, humanity,  and  education. 

Petion,  a mulatto  general  under  Dessalines,  had  been 
educated  at  Paris,  at  the  Military  Academy,  and  was  said 
to  be  a man  of  letters  and  of  refinement,  of  gentle  disposi- 
tion and  charming  manners  ; and  having  been  educated  to 
the  military  profession,  served  with  ability  as  the  chief 
engineer  of  the  blacks. 

At  Dessalines’  death  he  was  in  command  of  Port-au- 
Prince  ; and  when  Cristophe  marched  against  him,  Petion 
endeavoured  to  check  his  progress  at  a place  called  Cibert, 
some  four  miles  from  that  city.  But  he  was  then,  January 
1807,  defeated,  and  forced  to  fly  for  his  life. 

Then  began  another  civil  war  in  the  island  between  the 
two  parties,  headed  by  these  respective  chiefs,  which  finally 
ended  in  Cristophe’s  remaining  master  of  the  entire  northern 
district,  with  his  headquarters  at  Cape  Francois ; and  by  a 
sort  of  tacit  agreement,  Petion  in  1812  remained  in  posses- 
sion of  the  southern  province,  with  his  capital  at  Port-au- 
Prince. 

Thus  the  western  end  of  the  island  was  in  the  power  ot 
two  parties,  while  in  the  eastern  or  Spanish  part  matters 
were  also  in  a complicated  state. 

Notwithstanding  the  various  troubles  in  the  island,  and 
the  bad  success  of  tlie  French  in  their  attempts  to  maintain 
their  control  of  it,  they  had  still  retained  some  power  in 
13 


156 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


the  east  by  their  possession  of  St  Domingo  city  and 
Samana;  and  it  would  seem  as  though  they  held  on  to 
these  places  as  'points  (Tappuis^  from  which  they  hoped  to 
renew  their  efforts  to  re-establish  their  power  over  the 
western  part.  To  facilitate  this  plan,  many  French  soldiers, 
,or  those  favourable  to  the  French  cause,  had  been  settled 
in  the  Spanish  part,  and  had  been  armed  and  organised ; 
and  many  of  the  officers  even  had  been  encouraged  to 
create  families  for  themselves  among  the  creole  women, 
so  that  there  should  be  some  permanent  interest  held  in 
the  land.  This  had  created  quite  a strong  body ; and  as 
the  French  held  all  the  official  positions,  they  had  full 
power  to  make  themselves  obnoxious  to  the  native  and 
• Spanish  residents. 

This  they  did  to  such  an  extent  that  a revolutionary 
movement  was  inaugurated  by  one  Juan  Sanchez  Kamirez, 
a citizen  of  Cotuy,  who  raised  the  standard  of  revolt  among 
the  Spaniards,  but  at  first  without  much  success,  and  he 
was  forced  to  take  refuge  in  Puerto  Rico,  where,  however, 
some  of  the  Spanish  exiles  united  with  him,  and  forming 
a party,  they  landed  in  the  province  of  Seybo,  and  awakened 
the  inhabitants  of  that  part  to  resistance  against  the 
French. 

The  state  of  affairs  in  Spain  strengthened  this  movement ; 
for  the  Spaniards  in  the  island,  taking  courage  from  the 
example  of  the  mother  country  in  throwing  off  the  rule  of 
the  Bonapartes,  rose  up  at  the  same  time  as  Sanchez 
Ramirez’s  landing,  and  a strong  movement  was  made  in 
the  vicinity  of  Azua,  and  also  in  Cotuy. 

The  movement  in  Seybo  gained  such  headway,  that 
Ferrand,  after  making  attempts  to  quell  it  through  his 
subordinates,  was  compelled  to  take'  the  field  himself, 
leaving  St  Domingo  city  in  charge  of  a subordinate 
general,  Barquier. 

Ferrand,  the  8th  November  1808,  met  the  Spaniards  at 

Palo  Hincado.”  At  first  the  French,  fighting  with  great 


SUCCESS  OF  RAMIREZ. 


157 


bravery,  were  successful ; but  some  of  the  native  troops 
having  deserted  them,  they  were  quickly  defeated  by 
Ramirez  and  his  followers  ; and  the  brave  veteran  Ferrand, 
after  having  taken  the  life  of  one  of  their  leaders  with  one 
pistol,  blew  out  his  own  brains  with  the  other,  on  finding 
himself  alone,  and  his  troops  all  either  dead  or  deserted, 
not  caring  to  survive  his  ignominious  defeat.* 

The  whole  of  the  Spanish  part  was  now  in  arms ; and 
Cristophe  deeming  it  a matter  of  policy  to  aid  in  destroy- 
ing the  last  vestige  of  the  power  of  the  French  in  the 
island,  assisted  the  Spaniards  with  supplies  of  all  kinds, 
the  result  being  that  the  French  were  finally  cooped  up  in 
the  two  places  of  St  Domingo  city  and  Samana,  where 
they  were  closely  besieged  by  the  revolutionists  under 
Ramirez,  who  now  held  the  chief  command  over  the 
Spaniards. 

Unprovided,  however,  with  artillery  or  besieging  material, 
the  latter  were  unable  to  capture  these  places,  and  they 
sustained  a siege  of  some  nine  months,  the  garrisons,  parti- 
cularly that  of  St  Domingo  city,  sufiering  immensely, 
while  the  Spaniards  who  were  detained  in  that  city  had  to 
submit  to  every  cruelty  and  hardship  during  this  long 
term. 

Ramirez  finally  sought  aid  from  the  English,  sending 
an  envoy  to  the  Governor  at  Jamaica,  who  fitted  out  an  ex- 
pedition against  Samana,  which  arriving  there  in  November 
1809,  the  place  was  captured,  the  French  made  prisoners, 
and  their  vessels  taken  by  the  English,  the  place  being 
handed  over  to  the  authority  of  the  Spaniards. 

In  July  1809,  another  British  force  had  been  despatched 
from  Jamaica  to  St  Domingo  city,  under  Admiral  Cumby, 
the  land  forces  being  under  General  Carmichael  ; and  after 
some  delay,  and  just  as  the  English  were  ready  to  open 

* In  later  years  Santana  boasted  he  had  the  skull  of  Ferrand,  which  had 
been  captured  by  his  (Santana’s)  father,  and  that  he  intended  to  keep  it  as  an 
heirloom  in  his  family. 


158 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


their  mortar  batteries  upon  the  city  from  the  heights  of 
San  Carlos,  Barquier  agreed  to  capitulate  ; and  on  the  10th 
July,  the  French  having  evacuated  the  town,  the  cross  of 
St  George  was,  for  a second  time  in  the  history  of  this 
antique  city,  flung  to  the  breeze  from  its  walls. 

The  keys  of  the  city  were  retained,  to  be  presented  by  the 
English  Ambassador  to  the  Spanish  authorities  at  Seville, 
as  a token  that  the  ancient  domain  of  St  Domingo  was 
once  more  restored  to  the  authority  of  its  parent  country ; 
and  on  the  11th  July,  General  Carmichael,  the  English 
commander,  handed  over  the  city  to  the  patriot  chief 
Ramirez,  who  took  possession  of  it  at  the  head  of  his  troops. 

A commissioner  was  then  despatched  to  Spain  to  notify 
that  Government  of  the  restoration  of  St  Domingo  to  its 
authority ; but  that  country  was  in  a state  of  war  and  con- 
fusion, and  the  Government,  represented  by  the  Junta  of 
Seville,  received  this  news  with  indifference,  as  the  question 
of  the  home  Government  then  was  how  to  maintain  its 
own  safety,  without  caring  to  give  thought  to  the  re- 
acquisition of  territory  already  parted  with  by  its  own 
volition. 

An  alliance,  however,  being  formed  between  Spain  and 
England,  which  gave  a more  favourable  aspect  to  the 
affairs  of  the  former,  a commissioner,  Francisco  Zavier 
Caro,  was  appointed  and  sent  out  to  St  Domingo,  to  give 
affairs  there  a regular  form.  The  patriot  chief  Ramirez 
was  confirmed  as  brigadier-general,  and  appointed  Captain - 
General  of  the  island;-  a decree  was  also  passed  entitling 
St  Domingo,  as  part  of  the  American  colonies,  to  send  dele- 
gates to  the  Central  Council ; and  the  island  was  organised 
into  the  same  form  of  government  in  vogue  before  the 
cession  to  the  French  in  1795,  the  church  organisation 
being  the  same. 

In  fact,  the  old-time  policy  of  Spain  was  restored  of 
making  the  island  but  a place  for  ofScial  patronage,  and 
the  appointments  to  important  offices  were  made  of  persons 


ESP  AN  A BO  BAP 


159 


seot  out  from  Spain ; the  services  of  those  who  had  been 
the  means  of  restoring  the  island  overlooked  or  ignored, 
and  the  creoles  and  other  residents  of  the  island  found 
themselves  overmatched  by  newcomers  from  Spain.  This 
was  especially  the  case  with  the  soldiers,  many  of  whose 
promotions  were  revoked,  and  officers’  appointments 
ignored. 

•This  period  is  known  in  Dominican  annals  as  the  time  of 

EspaSa  boba”  (Spanish  puppet),  for  nothing  was  done  to 
benefit  the  island ; and,  as  a writer  pithily  observes,  it  was  a 
time  when  there  was  no  distinction  between  rich  and  poor,  for 
all  the  inhabitants  alike  were  in  a state  of  extreme  poverty ; 
there  was  no  luxury  of  any  kind — neither  theatres,  inns, 
public  walks,  or  any  inducements  for  spending  money,  for 
there  was  no  money  to  spend  ; in  fact,  the  people  vegetated 
rather  than  lived,  tranquilly  devoting  themselves  simply  to 
their  favourite  amusements  of  mass,  dancing,  and  religious 
festivities — a description  that  will  equally  apply  to-day. 

With  the  exception  of  a few  trifling  incidents,  of  local 
importance  only,  this  condition  of  affairs  continued,  im- 
proved only  a little  by  the  accession  of  some  of  the 
exiled  families  to  the  population,  and  by  the  acts  of  some 
of  the  Governors,  until,  in  1814,  the  treaty  of  Paris  gave 
regularly  back  to  Spain  her  right  upon  the  colony. 

So  far  from  this  appearing  to  have  benefited  the  island, 
it,  on  the  contrary,  seems  to  have  reaped  no  advantage 
whatever,  and  the  inhabitants  appear  to  have  amused 
themselves  at  various  times  in  this  period  by  getting  up 
revolutions,  of  which,  it  is  said,  there  were  some  fourteen, 
though  none  of  them  amounted  to  anything  until  Jose 
NuSez  de  Caceres  raised  a strong  p^rty,  incorporating  in  it 
the  principal  men  of  the  island,  and  declared  for  its  inde- 
pendence, which  was  finally  accomplished,  with  little 
trouble  and  loss,  in  December  1821.  Then  a new 

banner  was  given  to  the  breeze,  with  the  name  of 
“Colombia”  as  the  designation  of  the  new  republic.  As 


160 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


this  lasted,  however,  only  six  weeks,  it  is  not  worth  while  to 
dwell  upon  it. 

Meanwhile  we  have  left  the  western  part  of  the  island 
in  possession  of  the  blacks,  under  the  two  rulers  Cristophe 
and  Petion,  who  had  agreed  to  a sort  of  quasi-peace, 
and  both  were  devoting  themselves  to  the  advancement  of 
their  different  governments. 

Petion’s  government,  however,  had  been  disturbed  by  the 
insurrection  raised  by  Jean  Baptiste  Perrier,  who,  in  1807, 
had  raised  the  standard  of  revolt  in  the  mountains  of 
Jeremie,  for  the  nominal  purpose  of  assisting  Cristophe, 
and  he  carried  on  this  insurrection  for  a number  of  years. 

In  1810,  General  Bigaud  had  arrived  on  the  island, 
having  made  his  way  from  France,  and  he  also  raised  a 
revolt,  assuming  the  command  of  the  south,  forming  a 
council  at  Cayes ; and  thus,  in  this  period,  the  Island  of  St 
Domingo  may  be 'seen  with  five  distinctive  governments 
upon  it — that  of  Old  Spain,  of  King  Cristophe,  of  President 
Petion,  of  General  Bigaud,  and  of  Perrier. 

Bigaud  dying,  however,  in  1811,  was  succeeded  by 
General  Borgella,who  finally  gave  in  his  adherence  to  Petion. 

Cristophe  had  first  made  himself  king,  then  emperor, 
and  had  set  up  a court  that  he  endeavoured  to  make  surpass 
the  most  gorgeous  in  Europe. 

Petion,  meanwhile,  as  president  of  the  republic,  was 
earnestly  devoting  himself  to  the  good  of  the  people  and 
the  improvement  of  the  country.  Though  he  did  not  follow 
the  example  of  Cristophe  in  bestowing  orders  of  nobility,  he 
yet  rewarded  his  followers  with  grades  of  military  rank. 

During  the  government  of  these  two  chiefs,  and  after 
the  fall  of  Napoleon,  it  was  proposed  in  France  to  have  St 
Domingo  restored  to  the  French  Government,  and  much 
discussion  was  thereupon  entered  into  in  public  as  to  the 
feasibility  of  the  plan. 

No  sooner  did  an  intimation  of  this  reach  the  blacks  in 
St  Domingo,  than  each  chief  notified  the  French  authorities 


PETION'S  RULE. 

\ 


161 


that  no  attempt  of  any  kind  would  be  permitted  to  be  made 
on  the  island;  each  authority  proceeding*  to  increase  its 
means  of  defence. 

The  French  Government,  however,  having  hopes  of  the 
accomplishment  of  this  object  by  diplomacy,  if  not  by  force, 
sent  out,  in  1814,  three  commissioners  to  report  upon  the 
state  of  affairs  in  St  Domingo,  and  the  feeling  of  its  chiefs 
and  people  for  the  project. 

These  stationed  themselves  in  Jamaica,  from  whence  thev 
attempted  to  carry  on  negotiations  with  Petion  and  Cris- 
tophe  individually,  and  seduce  them  to  their  interest. 

Further  communications  from  the  commissioners  were 
laid,  both  by  Cristophe  and  Petion,  before  their  councils, 
and  the  representatives  of  France  were  even  invited  to  the 
island.  The  propositions  in  both  cases  were  utterly  refused, 
and  in  the  case  of  Petion,  with  this  refusal  to  recognise  the 
demands  of  France,  a proposition'  was  made  that  indemnity 
would  be  paid  for  the  losses  with  which  the  French  planters 
had  undoubtedly  met  in  their  departure  from  the  island. 
Bonaparte’s  return  from  Elba  put  an  end  to  all  these 
negotiations. 

Petion,  although  much  beloved  by  his  people,  seems  to 
have  been  too  mild  and  gentle  a man  to  rule  over  such  a 
peculiar  population ; and  the  inhabitants,  especially  the 
cultivators,  had,  under  him,  sunk  into  such  a state  of  idle- 
ness and  sloth,  that  the  island  suffered  much  in  its  com- 
^nerce  and  products — so  much  so,  that  the  revenue  was  not 
sufficient  to  meet  the  expenses  of  government.  To  increase 
the  difficulty,  Petion  had  issued  an  immense  amount  of 
debased  silver  coin,  which  eventually  only  added  to  the 
distress. 

Petion,  who  had  been  appointed  President  for  life,  with 
power  to  name  his  successor,  was  so  overcome,  it  is  said, 
with  chagrin  and  sadness  at  the  fate  of  his  republic,  that 
he  gradually  pined  away,  and  died  in  March  1818,  naming 
Boyer  as  his  successor. 


162 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


Cristophe,  Emperor  of  the  north,  was  still  living,  and 
pursuing  a very  different  policy  from  that  of  Petion.  Under- 
standing full  well  the  nature  of  his  subjects,  he  had  issued 
the  strictest  orders  compelling  every  man  to  work,  and 
punishing  with  the  utmost  severit}^  idlers  and  vagabonds. 
To  see  that  these  rules  were  complied  with,  his  subordinates 
not  only  were  compelled  to  make  inspection  of  the  planta- 
tions in  their  districts,  but  Cristophe  himself  rode  in  person 
at  various  times  in  various  places  to  see  that  his  orders  were 
executed.  The  consequence  was,  that  the  whole  of  that 
part  of  the  island  was  in  a flourishing  state ; the  revenues 
were  immense,  commerce  was  assured ; and  doubtless,  had 
the  Emperor  had  a little  more  judgment  and  humanity, 
with  a longer  life,  he  would  have  been  just  the  man  to  show 
of  what  his  people  and  the  Island  of  Hayti  were  capable. 

While  there  was  no  end  to  his  pride,  ambition,  and  love 
of  display,  he  had  the  good  sense  to  gather  around  him 
educated,  intelligent  men,  some  of  whom  were  Europeans, 
by  whom  he  could  profit  in  the  rule  of  his  country;  he  had 
even  the  ambitious  project  of  buying  up  the  Spanish  end 
of  the  island,  negotiations  for  which  he  had  already  entered 
into  it  is. said. 

Unfortunately,  as  he  had  grown  in  power,  he  had  more 
than  increased  in  despotism  and  cruelty ; and  if  we  believe 
the  stories  related  of  him,  he  eventually  became  one  of  the 
greatest  of  human  monsters. 

Finally,  to  such  an  extent  did  he  carry  his  exactions,  hi;^ 
punishments,  and  his  tyrannies,  that  his  subjects  rose 
against  him,  and  the  troops  joining  them,  his  power  fast 
slipped  away  from  him,  when,  in  October  1820,  being 
attacked  almost  in  his  very  palace  by  his  own  guard,  he  put 
an  end  to  his  own  life. 

General  Boyer,  who  had  succeeded  Petion,  availing  him- 
self of  the  confusion  created  by  the  death  of  Cristophe, 
pushed  forward  to  the  province  of  the  north,  and  the  people 
throughout  that  district  receiving  him  with  acclamations 


UNITED  REPUBLIC. 


163 


and  joy,  the  whole  of  the  western  part  became  united  under 
him  into  one  government  called  the  Republic  of  Hayti,  of 
which  he  was  made  President. 

In  order  to  ensure  the  tranquillity  of  the  island,  changes 
were  made  in  the  disposition  of  the  northern  troops,  they 
being  exchanged  for  those  of  the  south;  all  titles  were 
abolished,  and  those  generals  who  had  revolted  against 
Cristophe  were  rewarded  by  commands  in  other  parts 
of  the  island. 

Hardly  had  this  new  Government  of  the  west  beeL 
organised,  than  overtures  were  made  by  some  of  the 
inhabitants  of  the  east  to  recognise  the  rule  of  the  Hav 
tian  republic,  and  a deputation  for  this  purpose  waited 
on  Boyer  at  Port-au-Prince,  and  tendered  him  the  allegi- 
ance of  the  Spanish  part ; for  in  this  part,  at  this  time, 
there  were  a great  many  of  the  Hay  tian  s who  were  living 
there,  cultivating  the  ground,  and,  with  the  resident 
coloured  people,  formed  the  largest  portion  of  it.  Perhaps 
tired  of  the  disputes  between  the  ambitious  leaders  of  the 
French  and  Spaniards,  and  Spaniards  and  Dominicans, 
the  mass  of  the  people  longed,  as  they  do  to-day,  for  a 
stable  form  of  government  that  would  secure  them  in 
their  peaceful  labours  and  its  results;  and  in  this  feeling 
the  entire  population  of  the  country,  of  whatever  colour, 
shared. 

Boyer,  therefore,  no  sooner  received  intimation  of  this 
state  of  things,  than  he  began  to  march  a force  towards 
the  Spanish  frontiers,  immediately  following  with  his 
staff,  the  whole  as  they  advanced  being  received  in  the 
most  enthusiastic  manner  by  the  populace. 

President  Boyer  made  a peaceful  entry  into  the  city  of 
St  Domingo;  and  thus  the  beginning  of  the  year  182:.I  saw 
the  whole  of  the  island,  from  Cape  Tiburon  to  Cape 
Samana,  in  possession  of  one  Government,  the  Republic 
of  Hayti,  under  wliose  rule  it  was  to  remain  for  upwards  ul* 
twenty- two  years. 


164  . 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


As  Boyer  presided  over  this  republic  for  many  years,  it 

may  not  be  amiss  to 
give  a few  particulars 
concerning  him. 

Jean  Pierre  Boyer 
was  a dark  mulatto, 
a native  of  Port-au- 
Prince,  and,  at  the 
time  of  his  elevation' 
to  the  presidency  of 
the  republic,  was  about 
forty-eight  years  of 
age.  His  father  was 
a tailor ; and  his 
mother,  a Congo  ne- 
gress,  had  been  a slave. 
He  himself,  after  taking  part  in  the  early  troubles  on 
the  side  of  the  French,  had  retired  with  Kigaud  to  France, 
from  whence  he  returned  with  Le  Clerc  in  his  expedition, 
but  joined  subsequently  Petion,  to  whom  he  served  as 
aide-de-camp,  finally  being  appointed  his  successor,  after 
having  served  in  various  grades. 

He  was  below  the  middle  size,  with  a feeble  constitution, 
and  was  extremely  fond  of  display  and  ornament,  taking 
great  pride  in  showing  himself  on  Sundays  at  the  head  of 
his  troops  in  full  dress. 

In  his  government  of  the  new  republic,  Boyer  was  very 
far  from  displaying  that  judgment  and  wisdom  that  had 
marked  the  rule  of  Toussaint ; and,  so  far  from  profiting 
by  the  example  set  him  by  Cristophe,  the  good  results  of 
which  had  been  patent  to  the  whole  island,  in  making  the 
culture  of  the  land  and  general  agriculture  the  basis  of  a 
solid  wealth  and  progress  for  the  island,  he  seems  rather 
to  have  followed  the  weak  example  of  Petion  in  permit- 
ting the  entire  population  to  sink  into  a state  of  idleness, 
ignorance,  and  licentiousness. 


NEGOTIATIONS  WITH  FRANCE, 


165 


No  effort  was  made  to  enforce  the  cultivation  of  land ; 
and  even  the  influence  that  might  have  been  spread 
around  by  the  working  of  the  public  domain,  which  was 
considerable,  was  lost,  the  President  turning  his  attention 
more  particularly  to  the  working  of  the  mines  in  the  island. 
This  not  proving  profitable,  and  the  revenues  of  the  island 
falling  short  of  the  expenses,  he  also  had  recourse  to  the 
issuing  of  debased  coin ; and  of  such  a poor  nature  was 
this,  that  it  is  stated  the  counterfeit  was  better  than  the 
real,  having  more  silver  in  it. 

But  Boyer  probably  showed  his  want  of  wisdom  more 
forcibly  by  his  action  towards  the  French  Government. 

Although  the  island  was  now  united  under  one  govern- 
ment, under  the  flag  of  the  name  of  the  Republic  of  Hayti, 
it  had  not  been  able  to  take  its  place  in  any  way  among 
the  body  of  nations,  not  one  single  country  having  recog- 
nised it  as  having  a distinct  organisation  ; even  the  South 
American  State  of  Colombia,  which  almost  owed  its  exist- 
ence to  the  aid  it  had  received  from  St  Domingo,  had  not 
even  recognised  its  sister  republic. 

Although,  again,  this  independence  of  the  island  from 
the  French  had  been  maintained  since  January  1804, 
without  any  positive  denial  on  the  part  of  France  to  this 
assumption,  yet  now,  in  1824,  Boyer  saw  fit  to  send  an 
embassy  to  Paris,  to  ask  the  recognition  from  .the  French 
of  a fact  that  for  years  had  been  tacitly  conceded  by  them 
— the  independence  of  Hayti. 

For  this  recognition  the  commissioners  were  empowered 
to  offer  a pecuniary  consideration  of  100,000,000  francs ; 
but  this  was  promptly  refused,  the  French  Cabinet,  it  is 
presumed,  being  wise  enough  to  think,  that  if  Hayti  herself 
recognised  the  claim  of  France  to  her  soil,  the  latter  would 
be  unwise  to  yield  it. 

Some  privileges  conceded  to  an  English  company  for 
the  working  of  the  mines  decided  the  Government  of 
France  to  send  out  to  Hayti  an  expedition  for  the  purpose 


166 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


of  making  demands  on  account  of  the  above  conceded 
claim. 

This  expedition  consisted  of  a fleet  of  vessels  of  fourteen 
sail,  and  is  said  to  have  been  prepared  either  for  peace  or 

war,  in  case  these  demands  were  not  acceded  to. 

These  were  placed  in  the  hands  of  Baron  Mackau, 
an  officer  of  the  French  navy,  who  was  authorised  to  carr} 
on  the  negotiations  on  the  part  of  the  French  King. 

The  arrival  of  this  fleet  off  the  city  of  Port-au-Prince, 
it  is  stated,  excited  terror  and  consternation ; the  object  it 
had  in  view  was  unknown,  and  fears  were  immediate!}^ 
entertained  for  the  safety  of  the  city,  which  was  in  an 
almost  defenceless  condition. 

The  account  given  of  the  behaviour  of  Boyer  himself  on 
this  occasion  is  not  very  flattering,  nor  does  it  tend  to 
elevate  one’s  ideas  of  his  courage  and  decision  ; but  on 
hearing  that  the  object  of  the  mission  was  peaceable,  he 
prepared  to  enter  into  negotiations  with  Mackau ; and  after 
several  interviews  and  much  discussion,  an  ordonnance 
offered  by  the  French  was  Anally  accepted  by  Ingenac, 
secretary-general,  on  the  part  of  the  republic.  By  this 
document  it  was  prescribed  that  Hayti,  in  case  the  several 
clauses  contained  therein  were  not  complied  with,  should 
become  a colony  of  France. 

As  this  transaction  has  lately  created  some  discussion 
as  to  its  bearing  on  the  Dominican  part  of  the  island,  it 
may  be  as  well  to  give  a synopsis  of  what  the  treaty 

was. 

This  document  was  dated  Paris,  17th  April  1825,  and 
signed  by  the  King,  Charles  the  Tenth,  setting  forth  that 
the  ports  in  the  French  part  of  St  Domingo  shall  be  open 
to  the  commerce  of  all  nations ; that  the  French  ships 
and  merchandise  shall  be  admitted  into  the  French  part 
on  paying  only  half  duties — exports  the  same ; that  the 
inhabitants  of  the  French  part  of  St  Domingo  agree  to  pay, 
in  five  annual  instalments,  the  sum  of  150,000,000  francs 


RESULT  OF  NEGOTIATIONS. 


167 


as  an  indemuity  for  the  losses  of  the  ancient  colonists ; and 
that  when  the  conditions  of  this  ordonnance  are  fulfilled, 
the  French  part  of  St  Domingo  is  declared  independent. 

This  document,  therefore,  ceded  to  France  a right  which 
had  been  strictly  forbidden  in  the  original  constitution  of 
the  government  of  Hayti,  and  which  says,  Never  again 
shall  a colonist  or  a European  set  his  foot  upon  this  ter- 
ritory with  the  title  of  master  or  proprietor.” 

To  President  Boyer,  therefore,  belongs  the  odium  of  this  . 
transaction,  which  saddled  the  island  with  an  immense  debt, 
that  it  has  found  difficult  to  liquidate,  and  which  has,  un- 
doubtedly, had  the  effect  of  interfering  with  its  material 
progress,  as  to  this  day  the  debt  remains  unpaid. 

The  joy,  however,  at  the  settlement  of  this  negotiation 
was,  it  is  said,  confined  solely  to  the  town  of  Port-au- 
Prince  ; in  fact,  in  the  other  portions  of  the  island,  the 
people  were  so  exasperated  that  a revolution  was  threatened, 
and  only  prevented  by  the  prompt  movement  of  troops  to 
the  disaffected  localities.  Boyer,  however,  called  upon 
the  legislative  body  to  sanction  his  action  with  France, 
and  the  measure,  under  pressure,  was  approved  without 
debate ; the  assumption  of  the  debt  to  France  being  con- 
ceded as  an  affair  of  importance  to  the  national  honour  and 
credit. 

In  addition  to  the  money  advantage  ceded  to  France  by 
the  treaty,  there  were  accorded  to  her  also  special  privileges 
of  commerce,  freedom  of  duties,  &c.,  that  caused  great 
discontent. 

Every  effort  was  made  by  the  Government  to  raise  money 
for  immediate  payment  by  a loan  from  the  people  ; but  in 
this  it  was  frustrated,  the  people  vowing  they  would  never 
contribute  a cent ; the  inhabitants  of  the  Spanish  part  flatly 
refused  to  be  taxed  in  any  way  to  contribute  to  this  claim^ 
maintaining  that  they  had  never  belonged  to  France. 

Many* of  the  most  prominent  and  intelligent  of  the 
Haytians  protested  against  the  treaty,  afiirming  that  it 


168 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


was  not  binding  upon  the  island,  and  that  even  the  action 
of  the  Legislative  Assembly  recognising  the  tribute  to  the 
French  as  a national  debt  was  not  binding  upon  the  people ; 
for  they  had  gained  their  independence  by  an  immense 
struggle,  and  supported  it  at  the  expense  of  great  bloodshed ; 
in  addition  to  which,  the  independence  of  the  island  from 
France  had  now  been  maintained  for  the  period  of  twenty- 
one  years,  which  gave  them  an  undoubted  title  to  it. 

In  addition  to  the  treaty  made  public,  there  was  also  an 
additional  treaty,  kept  secret,  by  which  the  sum  of  30,000,000 
of  francs  was  to  be  paid  for  the  fortifications  and  public 
edifices  ; and  of  this  tribute  the  sum  of  60,000,000  was 
really  paid  in  coffee  and  money  before  the  end  of  the  year 
1828. 

At  this  time,  such  was  the  condition  of  the -finances  of  the 
island,  that  in  default  of  the  payments  then  due  to  France, 
it  became  necessary  to  declare  the  Government  of  the  island 
bankrupt,  and  all  payments  were  discontinued. 

Louis  Philippe  having  succeeded  to  the  throne  of  France, 
finding,  in  1838,  it  was  impossible  to  secure  the  treaty  of 
1825,  entered  into  fresh  negotiations  with  Boyer,  result- 
ing in  a treaty  which  reduced  the  debt  to  the  sum  of 
60,000,000  francs,  and  this  has  again  been  reduced  by  sub- 
sequent payments,  though  the  period  named  (1867)  for  its 
entire  extinction  has  since  arrived  without  the  Haytians 
being  able  to  comply. 

There  were  other  indebtednesses  entered  into  by  Boyer 
with  private  firms  in  France,  which  have  caused  great 
trouble,  and  involved  the  country  in  debt  which  it  has 
been  unable  to  liquidate. 

Nevertheless,  on  the  final  settling  of  the  tferms  of  the 
ordonnance,  the  independence  of  Hayti  was  celebrated, 
11th  July,  with  much  rejoicing  and  display  in  the  city  of 
Port-au-Prince,  the  French  officers  being  feted  and  dined. 
This  affair  remained  a source  of  trouble  for  a long  time 
after,  as  in  France,  before  the  treaty  was  formally  con- 


DEFECTIVE  LEGISLATIOX. 


169 


summated,  there  was  much  discussion  and  demand  on  the 
part  of  the  Government,  and  the  loan  with  which  to  pay 
the  first  instalment  of  the  treaty  had  to  be  raised  in  France 
on  the  most  exorbitant  terms  ; in  fact,  so  ridiculous  was 
the  nature  of  these,  that  at  the  time,  it  is  said,  the 

Haytian  loan”  was  a subject  of  ridicule  among  the 

mercantile  community. 

%! 

On  Boyer’s  accession  to  the  government  of  the  entire 
island,  it  had  been  hoped  that  such  rules  and  regulations 
would  have  been  made  by  him  as  would  advance  its  material 
interests  ; these,  however,  he  appears  to  have  neglected, 
until,  finding  matters  were  so  rapidly  growing  worse  from 
the  laxity  with  which  the  mass  of  the  people  were  governed, 
a law  was  put  in  force  compelling  the  labourers  to  remain 
on  the  plantations,  and  to  labour  at  least  five  days  in  the 
week. 

It  was  found  necessary  even,  to  carry  out  this-  law,  to 
place  armed  guards  to  enforce  it  upon  the  plantations  ; but 
this  would  seem  to  apply  to  the  military  only,  or  those  in 
authority : it  being  stated  that  on  the  plantation  of  the 
President  himself  the  soldiers  were  used  to  drive  the  negroes 
to  work  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet  or  the  sword. 

Such  was  the  result  of  this  laxity  in  enforcing  laws  on 
the  part  of  Bo}^er,  that  even  the  people  of  the  north,  who, 
under  Cristophe,  had  been  driven  into  regular  habits  of 
labour,  were  so  demoralised  during  Boyer’s  rule,  by  the 
example  of  vice  and  idleness  set  by  those  of  the  south,  that 
there  was  no  longer  any  systematic  culture  on  the  island, 
the  principal  part  of  the  population  simply  growing  enough 
fruits  and  vegetables  to  give  them  food. 

It  being  seen,  however,  that  the  negro  would  not,  in  his 
new  state  of  being,  work  unless  forced  both  by  law  and 
power  so  to  do,  resort  was  had  to  a series  of  laws  known  as 
the  Code  Rural,”  which  was  passed  by  the  Chamber  of 
Communes  on  the  21st  April  1826;  and  on  the  1st  May,  at 
the  agricultural  fete  annually  celebrated  in  the  island, 


170 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


these  laws  were  made  known  to  the  populace,  by  whom 
they  were  received  with  very  little  satisfaction.  In  fact, 
though  there  can  be  no  question  of  the  good  they  were  in- 
tended to  do,  and  would  do,  the  whole  code  is  simply  a strong 
illustration  of  power  used  to  force  unwilling  labourers  to 
work. 

There  were  numerous  articles  in  the  code  prescribing  the 
duties  of  non-property  owners ; but  their  real  purport  was 
to  declare  every  man  who  did  not  own  land,  having  no 
ostensible  occupation,  or  not  occupied  as  a cultivator,  a 
vagabond  with  whom  the  law  dealt  severely,  placing  such 
at  enforced  labour  on  the  public  lands. 

Boyer’s  rule,  however,  gave  no  satisfaction  to  the  more 
intelligent  portion  of  the  Haytians,  and  many  discontents 
were  generated,  which  finally  assumed  the  form  of  another 
revolution ; and  in  1 843  Boyer  was  deposed  from  power  by 
a political  party,  composed  principally  of  the  young,  active, 
and  ambitious  men  of  the  island,  some  of  whom,  having 
been  educated  abroad,  really  desired  to  see  the  island 
improved,  while  others,  however,  ruined  by  a course  of 
reckless  extravagance  and  debauchery,  hoped  to  better 
themselves  by  a change.  But  this  was  effected  under  the 
plea  that  Boyer  had  made  no  advance  in  twenty-five  years  ; 
that  he  had  not  given  education  to  the  people ; that  he  had 
maintained  the  military  system,  which  retarded  the  pro- 
gress of  civilisation,  and  aided  him  to  violate  the  laws. 
With  the  inception  of  this  revolution  came  a series  of 
others,  the  results  of  which  are  to-day  seen  in  the  wretched 
condition  of  this  once  beautiful  and  cultivated  portion  of 
St  Domingo. 

Boyer’s  government,  although  lasting  a long  time,  seems 
never  to  have  been  satisfactorily  accepted  bj^  the  Dominicans 
proper ; and  it  must  be  conceded  his  acts  were  in  many 
cases  arbitrary  and  despotic,  and  he  is  accused  of  great 
duplicity  in  his  dealings ; as  an  evidence,  the  fact  that  the 
University  of  St  Domingo,  of  which  the  people  were  justly 


REVOLUTION  AND  DISJUNCTION 


171 


proud,  was  entirely  closed  and  discontinued  by  Boyer,  and 
this  too  after  he  had  professed  himself  as  being  well  pleased 
with  it  and  its  students  ; but  no  sooner  was  he  fully  es- 
tablished in  power  than  he  ordered  these  very  students, 
and  many  of  the  young  men,  immediately  into  the  army — 
a course  which  succeeded  in  drhdng  many  of  the  white 
families  from  the  island. 

As  the  result  of  this  state  of  things,  when  the  above 
revolution  in  Haytian  affairs  proper  took  place,  it  was 
quickly  followed  by  the  separation  and  final  independence 
of  the  entire  eastern  or  Spanish  part  of  the  island.  But 
though  the  subsequent  Haytian  Governors  lost  all  control 
of  this  part,  they  endeavoured  to  retain  a portion  of  the 
territory,  an  effort  that  has  been  fruitful  of  discords  and 
bloodshed  between  every  succeeding  power, — the  land  thus 
remaining  as  a debatable  ground  still  in  dispute  ; and  as  it 
is  one  of  the  choicest  portions  of  the  island,  it  is  evident 
that  it  will  not  be  relinquished  by  either  side,  unless  in 
the  last  extremity.  In  this  district  are  comprised  Caobas, 
Hincha,  Banica,  San  Miguel,  and  San  Rafael. 

The  Dominicans,  in  1844,  seeing  the  state  of  affairs  in 
the  west,  raised  the  banner  of  revolt,  the  young  revolu- 
tionists having  at  their  head  a distinguished  citizen,  Juan 
Pablo  Duarte  ; and  the  movement  being  popular  and  suc- 
cessful, total  separation  from  Hayti  was  declared,  February 
27,  1844.  And  as  henceforth  the  two  Governments  re- 
mained for  ever  separated,  I shall  only  refer  to  them  again 
in  my  ‘‘  Present  State  of  Santo  Domingo  and  Hayti.” 

14 


CHAPTER  X. 


“ Amidst  the  heaven-reflecting  ocean  smiles 
A constellation  of  Eiysian  isles. 

The  breath  of  ocean  wanders  through  their  vales, 
In  morning  breezes  and  in  evening  gales  ; 

Earth  from  her  lap  perennial  verdure  pours, 
Ambrosial  fruits,  and  amaranthine  flowers.” 


Land  Ho — Arrival  in  the  Tropics — First  Sight  of  Laiid — Turk's 
Island — Salt  Keys — The  Haytian  Shore — The  Dominican 
Coast — Arrival  off  Puerto  Plata — Its  Harbour — Fun?iy 
Method  of  going  Ashore — A Plight  Visit — Histo?ical  Notes  of 
the  Town — Its  Bay — Situation — Trade — People. 


N the  morning  of  the  sixth  day  out  from  New  York,  all 


hands  were  called  on  deck,  just  as  daj"  was  breaking, 
to  catch  the  first  glimpse  of  land,  which  proved  to  be,  on 
nearer  approach,  the  famed  repository  of  salt,  Turk’s  Island, 
appearing  a barren  place  enough,  though  valuable  to  the 
English  as  a salt-mine. 

We  were  now  really  within  the  tropics,  and  enjoying  the 
balminess  of  air  peculiar  to  these  latitudes,  an  enjoyment 
the  greater  when  experienced  from  the  deck  of  a comfort- 
able steamer  in  the  exhilarating  atmosphere  of  a breezy 
early  morning. 

Our  next  sight  of  land  is  strange  indeed,  being  the  view 
of  some  low-lying  sandy  islands,  which  at  first  appear  one 
long  strip  of  hummocked  land,  but  which  resolves  itself 
finally  into  the  place  known  as  Salt  Keys,  also  famous 
for  its  salt, — the  few  houses  scattered  over  it  being  the 


Salt  Keys. 


HAYTIAN  COAST. 


173 


dwellings  of  the  sparse  population 
who  spend  their  existence,  in  what  is 
almost  a desert  island,  in  procuring 
this  necessity  to  life  for  their  more 
favoured  brethren  in  various  parts  of 
the  world. 

But  as  the  day  grows  older  we  come 
in  sight  of  Hayti  itself,  running  down 
whose  coast  we  soon  have  before  us  its 
higher  mountain  peaks ; and,  as  we 
stand  closer  in,  there  comes  rapidly 
into  view  the  bold  mountain  shore  of 
the  Dominican  portion,  of  which  it 
is  hard  to  conceive  anything  more 
picturesque  and  beautiful  as  one  ap- 
proaches it  from  the  sea.  Vast  ranges 
of  verdure-clad  mountains  stretch 
away  diagonally  from  the  sea,  the 
spaces  between  them  forming  most 
lovely  valleys  and  savannas,  all,  as 
we  see  them,  teeming  with  vegetation, 
for  not  a sign  do  we  see  of  abrupt  or 
barren  shores,  or  rocky  cliffs.  Every- 
thing is  picture-like,  even  to  the  sandy 
beach  upon  which  breaks  the  deep 
blue  sea,  forming  as  it  falls  into  foam 
a belt  of  almost  silver  surf. 

Then  came  historic  lieadlands, 
familiar  to  the  readers  of  Irving’s 
Columbus,  and  finally  the  })rominent 
point.  Cape  Isabella,  that  marks  the 
spot  where  Columbus  established  the 
first  Christian  settlement  in  the  New 
World,  the  now  almost  unrecognisable 
site  of  Isabella. 

Finally  we  come  in  sight  of  the 


174 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


hills  of  Puerto  Plata  (silver  port),  marked  by  the  most 
prominent  peak  on  the  north  coast,  known  as  Pico  (peak) 
Isabella,  or,  as  it  is  sometimes  called,  the  saddle,”  from 
its  peculiar  shape.  The  storm  clouds,  though,  are  now 
rolling  their  vapoury  masses  from  its  peak  nearly  3000 
feet  high,  the  effect  being  wonderfully  grand  and  majestic. 

Such  is  the  perfect  deliciousness  of  the  weather  at  sea  in 
this  climate,  that  it  seems  almost  a pity  to  reach  the 

promised  land,”  were  it  not  that  it  appears,  as  we  draw 
near,  almost  to  verify  at  this  distance  those  lines  of 
the  “ Emigrant  Song,”  a place — 

“ To  rear  new  homes  amid  trees  that  glow 
As  if  gems  were  the  fruitage  of  every  bough  : 

Round  the  white  walls  to  train  the  vine, 

And  sit  in  its  shadow  at  the  day’s  decline, 

And  watch  the  flocks  as  they  roam  at  will 
O’er  the  green  savannas  so  broad  and  still,” 

But  truly  all  is  not  gold  that  glitters,”  as  we  find  on 
closer  acquaintance  with  this  really  wonderful  domain  and 
its  peculiar  inhabitants ; for  here  it  might  truly  be  said 
that  the  aspect  of  nature  is  beautiful  and  grand,  and,  seen 
in  all  its  magnificence  of  luxuriant  tropical  vegetation, 
that  reaches  to  the  very  mountain  peaks,  is  the  place  where 
apply  those  hymn  lines  so  familiar  to  us  all — 

“ Where  every  prospect  pleases,  and  only  man  is  vile.” 

At  five  o’clock  in  the  afternoon  we  are  directly  off  the 
harbour  of  the  town ; and,  without  waiting  to  take  a pilot, 
the  staunch  little  steamer  goes  rapidly  in  through  the 
narrow  and  somewhat  shallow  channel,  the  surf  rolling 
gently  on  the  sandbars  and  shoals  that  are  on  each  side  of 
the  harbour,  and  we  quickly  come  to  anchor  some  distance 
from  the  shore. 

The  bay  contained  several  German  vessels,  that  had  lain 
there  for  nearly  eight  months  on  account  of  the  war 
between  France  and  Germany.  They  came  out  for  cargoes 


PUERTO  PLATA. 


175 


of  tobacco,  of  which  the  Germans  have  an  almost  exclusive 
monopoly  in  the  Island  of  St  Domingo. 

The  harbour  is  one  of  the  most  picturesque  in  the  island, 
though  not  by  any  means  one  of  the  best ; for  the  shore 
shelves  so  gradually,  that 
vessels  have  to  anchor  at 
some  distance,  and  even 
small  boats  cannot  land 
their  passengers,  who  are 
compelled  to  mount  upon 
the  backs  of  the  stalwart 
negro  boatmen  and  be 
carried  ashore — a ludicrous 
sight  indeed. 

Vessels  are  loaded  bv 

V 

large  lighters,  and  these 
again  from  small  ox- carts, 
which  brinor  their  loads  from  the  shore  througfh  the  shallow 


Going  ashore. 


water,  such  a 
thing  as  a dock 
or  wharf  when  we 
first  arrived  being 
unknown  ; but  a 
temporary  frame 
wharf  was  after- 
wards erected, 
but  only  for  land- 


Loadiug  Cargo 


ing  purposes. 

The  change  from  daylight  to  dark  is  very  rapid  in  this 
climate,  as  there  is  no  twilight,  and  darkness  found  us 
preparing  to  make  our  first  visit  to  Dominican  soil.  It 
did  not  look  very  jiromising  for  a first  attempt,  as  there  is 
no  lighting  of  town  streets,  and  we  were  told  they  were 
filled  with  mud.  Still  we  had  one  distinguislied  gentleman 
aboard,  who,  in  his  desire  to  taste  tropical  fruit,  could  not 
control  his  impatience  until  morning;  and  so  a party  of  us, 


176 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


with  pants  tucked  in  our  boots,  go,  via  small  boat  and 
negro-back,  to  explore  the  town. 

0 shades  of  Cuba ! 0 poetic  dreams  of  fairy  tropic 

lands  ! where  now  are  all  thy  realisations  ? Or  is  this,  our 
first  introduction  to  Dominican  scenes,  a fair  sample  of 
what  we  may  expect  in  all  St  Domingo  ? God  forbid  ! for 
in  the  gloom  of  night  we  find  mud  and  filth,  narrow 
streets  shrouded  in  darkness,  swarthy  faces,  and  very, 
very  humble  habitations. 

The  town  of  Puerto  Plata,  like  the  few  towns  still  left  in 
the  Island  of  St  Domingo,  is  a very  old  town  indeed,  as  far 
as  its  location  is  concerned,  for  the  buildings  were  utterly 
destroyed  by  the  Spaniards  when  they  evacuated  the  island 
in  1865.  The  town,  however,  has  been  rebuilt  after  a 
fashion,  with  moderate-sized  houses  of  wood,  and  in  the 
outskirts  with  small  cabins  made  of  strips  of  the  palm  and 
withes,  and  roofed  with  thatch.  That  it  had  at  one  time 
been  a place  of  very  great  importance  and  solid  structures, 
is  evident  from  the  ruins  of  many  of  the  warehouses  and 
buildings  still  standing,  which  are  composed  of  stone  and 
the  material  of  the  country  known  as  mamposteria,”  a 
sort  of  concrete. 

As  far  back  as  1499  the  town  is  spoken  of  as  a flourishing 
place,  and  it  is  even  said  that  Columbus,  in  one  of  his  later 
voyages,  himself  traced  the  plan  of  the  town,  which  was 
afterwards,  in  1502,  constructed  by  the  orders  of  Ovando 
the  Governor,  who,  in  order  to  connect  it  with  the  interior, 
built  a fine  road,  upon  which  he  expended  large  sums  of 
money,  being  afterwards  reproached  therefor,  as  having 
committed  a useless  piece  of  extravagance.  No  actual  vestige 
of  this  road  remains. 

In  those  days  it  was  a lively  place,  being  the  port  at 
which  were  embarked  the  products  of  the  mines  and  the 
sugar  from  Santiago  and  La  Vega — the  Spanish  merchant- 
men coming  here  in  great  numbers  for  cargoes.  The  port 
was  originally  discovered  by  Columbus  in  his  first  voyage, 


TOWN  AND  UAY  OF  PUERTO  PLATA 


PUERTO  PLATA 


177 


and  being  overlooked  by  the  high  mountain  already  alluded 
to,  the  top  of  which  appeared  at  sea  so  white  to  the 
Spaniards,  they  thought  it  covered  with  snow,  as  it  glistened 
like  snow  or  silver.  Being  undeceived  as  to  the  snow,  they 
called  the  port,  from  this  circumstance.  Silver  Port  (Puerto 
de  Plata). 

In  1543  the  place  was  attacked  by  privateers,  which 
seemed  to  be  the  commencement  of  its  decay  j and  in  1606 
it  was  one  of  those  ports  mentioned  in  the  history  of  the 
island  as  being  destroyed  by  order  of  the  Spanish  Govern- 
ment, in  order  to  stop  the  illicit  traffic  with  other  nations. 
It  figures  in  history  as  the  place  where,  in  1669,  Delisle 
landed  to  commence  his  attack  on  Santiago  ; and  in  1756 
it  was  one  of  those  towns  that  shared  with  Monte  Cristo  in 
the  free  commerce  accorded  to  some  of  the  ports.  From  that 


street  in  Puerto  I'lfita. 


time  to  the  present  it  has  suffered  various  successes  and 
reverses.  After  1822  it  was  a flourisliing  place,  possessing 
handsome  houses  and  stores,  ruins  of  which  are  vet  seen. 


178 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


The  streets  were  paved,  and  on  the  liills  surrounding  the 
town  were  a great  many  very  well  conducted  coffee  estates. 

The  region  in  which  the  town  is  located  has  always  been 
noted  as  having  abundance  of  gold  and  silver. 

Puerto  Plata  is  to-day,  however,  a very  irregularly  built 
town,  most  of  the  houses  being  constructed  of  wood,  usually 
two  stories  in  height,  with  balconies  on  the  second  floor ; 
and  the  principal  of  these,  as  well  as  the  storehouses,  are 
placed  in  parallel  streets  that  run  directly  down  from  the 
hills  to  the  waters  of  the  bay.  These  streets  are  narrow  and 
badly  paved,  but  the  natural  location  of  the  town  is  a very 
advantageous  one,  affording  ample  space  for  the  develop- 
ment of  a large  city. 

The  land  rises  gently  up  from  the  shore  to  some  moderate 
hills  beyond  the  town,  and  these  again  are  backed  by  the 
mountains,  the  whole  spot  being  fully  open  to  the  breezes 
from  the  northern  sea,  while  it  is  also  open  to  the  free 
transmission  of  the  land  breezes,  which  cool  the  air  during 
the  hot  hours  of  the  day. 


TiiC  Old  Fort 


The  town  itself  is  prettily  situated  on  the  side  of  a high 


PORT  OF  PUERTO  PLATA. 


179 


mountain  running  gradually  to  the  sea,  the  shore  forming 
almost  a crescent-shaped  hay,  to  the  right  of  which  projects 
a small  peninsula  almost  like  an  island,  forming  the  most 
romantic  feature  in  the  town  and  harbour ; for  on  it  is  the 
‘‘“fortress”  (?),  a series  of  dilapidated  stone  buildings  and 
works  built  ages  and  ages  ago  for  protection  to  the  town 
jSTow  they  are  dismantled,  crumbling  ruins,  overgrown  with 
moss  and  vines  and  grass,  and  form  as  pretty  a study  of 
ruins  as  any  artist  could  desire.  They  still,  however,  pro- 
fess to  be  the  protection  to  the  port ; and  to  strengthen  this 
idea,  there  are  about  twelve  men  and  one  musket,  to  say 
nothing  of  several  rusty  pieces  of  ordnance  that  cannot  be 
fired,  all  left  there  as  an  established  Dominican  military  (?) 
post. 

The  actual  port  of  Puerto  Plata,  though  not  by  any  means 
the  best  in  the  island,  is  capable  of  being  made  into  a very 
important  harbour.  The  entrance  is  not  very  good,  owing 
to  the  bars  on  each  side,  on  which  the  sea  always  makes  a 
heavy  surf. 

It  faces  exactly  north,  and  a vessel  must,  in  entering,  keep 
very  close  to  the  point  of  the  breakers,  near  the  old  fort, 
on  the  eastern  side.  The  bottom  has  about  three  fathoms 
of  water  at  entering,  but  shallows  very  quickly ; and  large 
deposits  of  mud,  it  is  said,  are  brought  down  by  the  two 
rivers  that  empty  into  the  bay ; but  there  is  anchorage  in 
places  seven  fathoms  deep. 

This  anchorage  is  usually  good  and  safe,  having  once 
passed  the  reefs  at  the  entrance,  though  the  squalls  from 
the  north  and  north-west  are  occasionally  felt. 

During  the  rainy  season  the  rivers  above  mentioned  cause 
a strong  outset ; and  at  this  period  one  of  them  (the  St 
Mark),  in  the  west  part  of  the  harbour,  is  open  for  boats, 
and  is  the  best  watering-place. 

In  winter  the  wind  from  the  E.N.E.  comes  in  about  nine 
A.M.,  and  continues  until  near  sunset,  when  a moderate  land 
wind  comes  oil’  from  the  south-east;  but  the  northers  seldom 


180 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


blow  strong  into,  this  port.  The  best  loading  season  here 
begins  when  it  is  ended  on  the  other  side. 

The  port  of  Puerto  Plata  is  the  most  active  one  on  the 
Island  of  St  Domingo ; in  fact,  it  constitutes,  with  the 
capital,  the  only  places  worthy  of  that  name ; and  here  is 
done  the  principal  commerce  of  the  island. 

This  is  almost  exclusively  confined  to  the  foreign  mer- 
chants, the  majority  of  whom  are  Germans,  who  have  the 
entire  monopoly  of  the  tobacco  trade  of  the  region  of  the 
Yega  Real,”  which  is  almost  the  exclusive  seat  of  its 
culture,  having  for  the  capital  of  the  district  the  town  of 
Santiago,  the  first  in  importance  in  the  island. 

This  business  of  tobacco  gives  rise  and  life  to  the  entire 
trade  of  the  town  of  Puerto  Plata.  Without  it  there  would 
be  nothing  for  the  storekeepers,  as  there  is  in  this  vicinity 
no  agriculture  other  than  the  growing  of  a few  fruits  in  a 
shiftless  sort  of  way.  There  is  also  the  shipping  of  ma- 
hogany and  other  woods,  the  loading  of  which,  however, 
generally  takes  place  at  the  mouths  of  various  creeks  and 
rivers,  or  in  the  bays  along  the  coast. 

The  population  of  Puerto  Plata  is  variously  estimated  at 
from  two  to  three  thousand  inhabitants,  mostly  people  of 
colour,”  which  may  mean  jet-black  African,  mulatto,  or  not 
pure  white.  This  name,  however,  is  never  bestowed  on  a 
Dominican  if  possible,  as  they  are  very  touchy  ” on  this 
subject,  all  being  equally  citizens. 

It  may  be  as  well  here  to  explain  the  meaning  of  the 
terms  applied  in  the  Spanish  islands  to  the  different  colours 
of  the  people. 

Creole  is  a descendant  of  Europeans  settled  in  America. 

Mulattoes,  or  the  offspring  of  Europeans  and  negroes. 

Mestizos,  or  the  offspring  of  Europeans  and  Indians. 

Negroes,  the  pure  African. 

Of  this  population,  the  whites  and  mulattoes  are  the 
storekeepers  and  tradesmen  in  the  town,  and  the  blacks 
and  mestizos  are  the  labourers  about  warehouses,  ships,  &c. 


DOMINICAN  AMERICANS. 


1ST 


Here  in  Puerto  Plata  there  are  a large  number  of  negroes 
from  the  English  islands  Nassau,  St  Thomas,  Jamaica, 
&c.,  most  of  them  speaking  English  quite  well:  in  fact,  a 
large  number  of  the  coloured  people  speak  some  little  of  two 
or  three  languages. 


I was  struck  by  the  free,  frank,  and  manly  way  in  which 
these  men  look  and  speak,  evidently  showing  they  feel  their 
importance  as  freemen — very  different  from  the  same  class 
in  Cuba. 

The  women  earn  their  living  principally  by  washing 
clothes  ; and,  as  a smart  Nassau  negro  told  me,  did  better 
and  worked  harder  than 
the  men.  Those  who 
came  out  from  America 
appear  particularly  intel- 
ligent, retaining  all  the 
habits  of  neatness  peculiar 
to  our  best  coloured  people. 

Some  of  them,  in  their 
towering  high  bandana 
head  and  gay  coloured 
striped  dresses,  were 
models  in  this  way.  How- 
ever, in  conversation  with 
many  of  these  people,  1 
learned  they  were  all  will- 
ing to  work,  and  work 
steadily,  if  they  got  pay  ; 
many  of  them  were  per- 
fectly willing  to  go  upon 

, "f,  • , 1 • • • . Dominican  American. 

the  farms  in  the  vicinity 

and  perform  agricultural  labours,  ])rovided  they  were  sure 
of  pay ; but  there  is  no  general  agriculture,  and  those 
engaged  in  it  are  of  limited  means,  and  cannot  afford  to 
employ  labourers. 

Plenty  of  labour  can  be  had  at  from  §1  to  $3  per  day, 


182 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


according  to  length  of  time,  and  by  the  month  all  are  will- 
ing to  work  for  |10  and  $12.  I found  a good  many  negroes 
from  the  United  States,  who  came  out  in  the  great  emi- 
gration scheme  some  forty  years  ago.  They  appear  intel- 
ligent, industrious,  and  tolerably  well-to-do. 

The  society  of  Puerto  Plata  is  very  limited  indeed,  being 
confined  to  a very  few  families,  and  these  mostly  foreigners; 
and  their  homes,  with  one  or  two  exceptions,  are  one-storied 
frame-houses  of  three  or  four  rooms. 

The  prevailing  religion  of  the  people  is  Roman  Catholic, 
but  there  is  a Methodist  church  established,  and  freedom  of 
worship  is  supposed  to  exist ; and,  perhaps,  does  to  a cer- 
tain extent ; but  my  experience  in  trying  to  leave  the  town 
made  me  aware  that  church  holidays  ” are  strictly  en- 
forced, the  stores  being  closed  and  all  traffic  ceasing,  and 
1 could  not  even  hire  a negro  to  carry  my  luggage  until  he 
had  obtained  permission  of  the  authorities,  the  reason  given 
being  it  was  dia  de  fiesta.” 

First  impressions,  it  is  said,  are  always  best,  but  this 
was  not  my  experience  of  Puerto  Plata,  for  the  place  im- 
proved much  on  acquaintance,  and  I spent  many  days 
there  pleasantly  enough,  though  there  was  that  which,  at 
first  sight,  astonished  and  even  disgusted  me. 

Bright  and  early  in  the  morning,  which  is  always  the 
most  charming  part  of  the  day  in  the  tropics,  our  party 
sallied  out  sight-seeing.  The  weather  was  like  a dav 
in  early  June — crisp  and  fresh,  and  everything  green  and 
bright ; and  the  town  appeared  to  better  advantage  than  on 
the  previous  night;  but  the  streets,  mostly  unpaved,  were 
filled  with  mud  and  filth.  We  first  went  to  the  Plaza 
Mercado  ” or  market-square,  and  a more  ridiculous  sight 
cannot  be  imagined  ; for  here,  in  a space  about  one-fourth 
of  an  acre,  was  held  the  daily  market.  A few  rude  booths, 
made  of  thatch  and  poles,  composed  the  butchers’  stalls,  in 
which  were  exposed  fearful  specimens  of  various'  meats. 
Around  the  square  were  seated  groups  of  women  and  chil- 


3/ A tlKET. 


183 


(Iren,  with  cloths  spread  upon  the  ground,  upon  which  w^ere 
displayed  the  various  fruits  in  limited  quantities,  herbs, 


Market  Square. 


salad,  eggs,  six  to  eight  in  a lot,  peas  by  the  cujyful^  &c., 

(fee. 

This  was  our  first  opportunity  of  seeing  the  native 
Dominican  chocolate,  which  is  j)repared  by  the  country 
people,  and  sold  in  small  flat  cakes  of  a quarter  or  half 
pound  each. 

As  thus  j)repared,  it  has  not  a very  attractive  appear- 
ance ; for  so  rudely  is  it  manufactured,  that  the  broma  or 
natural  oil  of  the  fruit  gives  the  cakes  a very  greasy  appear- 
ance and  dark  colour. 

Most  of  that  sold  at  Puerto  Plata  comes  from  the  little 
village  to  which  the  fruit  gives  its  name  (Cacao),  a short 
distance  from  the  town  on  the  river  San  Juan,  many  of 
tliese  country  peoj>le  coming  miles  along  the  coast  road 


184 


SAA^TO  DOMI.VGO 


with  nothing  else  but  this,  in  small  quantities,  and  a few 
bananas,  to  sell. 

Thence  we  strolled  to  the  outskirts  of  the  town,  and  so 
on  to  the  small  river  from  which  the  carriers  get  the 
water  with  which  the  towns-folk  are  supplied.  A sudden 
turn  in  the  road  displayed  to  the  astonished  gaze  of  most 
of  our  party  forty  or  fifty  women  of  various  ages,  in  various 


Washing  Clothes, 


positions  in  the  river,  washing  clothes.  Some  were  entirely 
nude,  some  with  only  a waist-cloth,  but  all  industriously 
washing  away  and  chattering  like  parrots.  Our  stopping 
to  look  was  the  occasion  of  much  merriment  and  chaffing, 
increased  by  the  vigorous  screams  of  a nude  old  beldame 
of  Vaya  ! vaya  ! ” (go  away),  which  we  presently  did. 

Finding  ourselves  at  a small  tienda  mista  ” (notion 
store),  with  country  garden  attached,  I engaged  the  pro- 
prietor in  conversation,  while  he  kindly  took  us  through 


TOBACCO. 


185 


his  place,  knocked  the  wild,  the  sweet,  and  the  bitter 
oranges  from  the  trees  for  us  ; showed  us  the  chayote,  the 
mango,  the  caimito,  bread-fruit,  yuca,  from  which  cassava 
bread  is  made  ; the  banana  in  its  various  forms,  under  the 
general  name  of  platano  ; the  shaddock  ; the  calabash,  from 
which  they  make  their  bowls,  and  cups;  the  various  kinds 
of  palm,  including  the  cocoa,  and  many  other  fruits  and 
plants,  all  growing  almost  without  culture  in  a little  place 
of  an  acre  or  two  ; and,  to  use  his  expression,  It  is  their 
nature — they  grow  themselves.” 

Amidst  mud  and  mire,  in  front  of  this  place,  stretched 
the  Camino  Real  ” (royal  road,  in  name  only),  that  runs 
into  the  interior  to  the  large  town  of  Santiago  in  La  Vega, 
one  day’s  journey  from  Puerto  Plata.  Upon  this  road  that 
day,  I think,  there  must  have  passed  at  least  two  hundred 
mules  and  horses,  each  carrying  two  bales  or  ceroons  of 
tobacco,  of  about  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  pounds  each; 
and  as  this  was  the  beginning  of  the  tobacco  harvest,  we 
were  told  it  was  a daily  occurrence. 

The  Dominican  tobacco  cannot  be  said  to  be  first-rate, 
any  of  it ; much  of  it  is  very  inferior,  and  all  of  it  is 
“ fiojo  ” (weak),  as  they  say  here.  But  this  arises  not 
from  any  lack  of  merit  in  the  soil  to  grow  it,  but  simply 
from  want  of  attention  and  knowledge  on  the  part  of 
the  cultivators,  very  different  from  their  Cuban  brethren, 
who  spend  whole  nights  watching  their  plants  for  the 
worm,  or  carefully  trimming  the  plant  at  the  proper 
time,  and  by  other  cares  and  precautions  bringing  it 
to  perfection. 

The  work-horses  here  are  many  of  them  as  small  as  the 
mule,  while  none  are  larger  than  the  ordinary-sized  mule 
with  us.  Some  of  those  that  bring  down  the  tobacco  are 
not  larger  than  a small  pony,  yet  are  well  proportioned 
and  clean  limbed,  and  withal  very  wiry  and  tough,  which 
tliey  need  to  be  from  the  cruel  treatment  they  receive, 
many  of  them  being  completely  u.sed-up  in  their  journeys. 

15 


186 


SAX  TO  DO  MIX  GO. 


Horse. 


A sad  lot  they  are,  as  one  sees  them,  sore-backed  and 

covered  with  mud,  rest- 
ing before  the  warehouses. 
The  price  for  a good  horse 
is  usually  about  $40  ; but 
I was  amused,  in  address- 
ing several  horsemen  the 
question,  Horse  for 
sale  ? ” to  hear  them 
say  invariably,  Yes, 
sehor — $100.” 

The  water  of  the  little 
stream  that  supplies  the 
town  is  like  that  of  all 
the  rivers  of  St  Domingo,  clear  and  cold,  and  very  pleasant 

to  the  taste ; but 
although  it  is  lime- 
stone water,  it  is 
considered  to  be 
very  wholesome. 

This  is  brought 
into  the  town  bj" 
water-carriers, who, 
each  possessed  of 
a small  donkey, 
swing  a large  cask 
on  each  side  of  the 
animal,  and  then, 
mounting  on  the 
back,  belabour  the 
into 


Water-carrier. 


poor  brute 

town,  thus  carrying  the  water  from  door  to  door. 

Puerto  Plata  is  considered  a very  healthy  place,  as,  in 
fact,  the  whole  island  seems  to  be ; the  only  thing  thej^ 
suffer  from  being  the  bilious  and  intermittent  fevers  which 
sometimes  prevail,  and  of  which  we  have  so  much  in  the 


CUSTOMii. 


187 


United  States.  If  it  is  not  healthy  the  people  there  should 
not  complain,  considering  the  way  they  live  and  the  con- 
dition in  which  they  keep  their  roads,  streets,  and  dwell- 
ings ; but  they  uniformly  pronounce  it  perfectly  healthy, 
even  in  the  rainy  season,  which,  on  this  side  of  the  island, 
occurs  in  about  the  months  of  December,  January,  and 
February ; though  this  year,  it  is  said,  more  rain  has  fallen 
than  for  the  past  five  years. 

I find  that  all  the  coloured  people  that  came  from  the 
United  States  like  this  climate,  and  would  not  care  to  go 
back,  except  temporarily  to  see  home.”  The  people  are 
all  taking  an  interest  in  the  United  States,  and  many  are 
trying  already  to  learn  English,  for  which  purpose  a night- 
school  has  been  established  in  Puerto  Plata,  which  is  well 
attended. 

Having  finished  up  pretty  well  sight-seeing  in  the  town 
and  vicinity,  we  adjourned  at  twelve  o’clock  precisel)^  to 
the  French  hotel  for  breakfast,  this  being  the  regular  hour 
for  that  meal,  the  habits  of  the  people  being  adapted  to  the 
nature  of  the  climate.  They  rise  early,  five  or  six  o’clock, 
have  a cup  of  chocolate  or  coffee  and  a roll  and  some  fruit, 
and  then  go  about  their  affairs  until  twelve  o’clock,  the 
breakfast  hour,  followed  by  the  siesta  until  two;  then  busi- 
ness again  from  two  till  four ; after  which,  at  six  o’clock, 
is  the  dinner.  It  is  the  custom  for  those  who  have  horses, 
at  this  hour  of  the  day,  to  take  their  paseo  ” on  horse- 
back, the  evening  hours  being  usually  delightfully  fresh  for 
such  exercise  on  their  easy-going  horses.  I noticed  that 
in  many  of  the  habitations  the  hammock  is  used  in  lieu  of 
bed,  being  made  either  of  gi*ass  or  canvas.  The  nearest 
approach  to  a bed,  except  in  the  better  class  of  houses,  is 
an  ordinary  cot  with  pillow  and  sheet. 

The  traveller  having  no  acquaintances  in  the  town 
fares  rather  badly  for  hotel  accommodations,  for  there  are 
only  two  establishments  that  have  the  slightest  claim  to 
the  name.  One  of  these,  kept  by  a German,  Emil,  has 


188 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


only  two  or  three  rooms ; and  the  other,  kept  by  a French- 
man, about  the  same  ; the  table  is,  however,  very  fair. 

We  had  here  our  first  insight  into  the  motives  that  have 
induced  these  people  to  express  a desire  for  annexation  to 
the  United  States ; for  a party  of  us  called  to  pay  our 
respects  to  the  Government  officer  of  this  district,  known 
as  the  Administrator  of  Public  Property,  who  has  a very 
charming  residence  on  the  borders  of  the  sea,  and  who 
received  us  with  the  utmost  courtesy.  Though  he  spokej 
no  English,  he  was  very  ready  to  converse  in  Spanish.  As 
Minister  of  Public  Property,  he  informed  me  that  the 
principal  domain  of  the  Government  was  in  the  ports,  bays, 
and  sea-coast  towns  of  the  island ; that  in  the  interior 
there  was  no  certainty  as  to  the  quantity  of  Government 
lands,  as  they  were  mostly  held  in  private  right,  but  that 
in  each  sea-port  town  there  were  valuable  tracts  belonging 
to  the  Government ; that  none  of  this  property  would  be 
sold  at  any  price  pending  the  question  of  annexation,  for 
since  it  was  first  broached,  two  years  ago,  an  order  had 
been  issued  to  that  effect ; nevertheless,  the  Government 
was  perfectly  willing  to  lease  any  of  its  property  for  two, 
three,  or  five  years,  or  even,  in  an  extreme  case,  where  a 
hona  fide  purchaser  desired  to  make  a home  for  himself,  the 

Ayuntamiento  ” (town  council)  was  authorised  to  give  a 
deed  of  such  site. 

It  seemed  strange  to  us,  coming  from  a populous  country, 
where  land  in  any  desirable  place  commands  such  a high 
price,  to  find  here  that  town  lots  are  and  can  be  bought  for 
two  or  three  hundred  dollars  ; that  within  a mile  of  the 
western  gate  of  the  principal  city  150  acres  of  desirable 
land  has  been  sold  for  $600.  Upon  this  land  cocoa-nuts 
enough  can  be  raised  in  two  years  to  more  than  trq^le  pay 
for  the  place.  But  this  is  the  result  of  the  terrible  mill  in 
which  the  island  has  been  ground  up,  until  nothing  is  left 
but  ruined  walls  and  magnificent  earth  that  is  valueless, 
unless  the  country  can  be  repopulated  with  labourers. 


REASONS  FOR  ANNEXATION. 


189 


The  official  spoke  to  me  feelingly  concerning  the  motives 
with  which  the  Dominican  authorities  were  influenced  in 
their  desire  for  annexation,  telling  me,  to  use  his  own 
words,  I am  a Dominican,  senor,  and  I am  rich  enough 
to  go  and  live  in  any  part  of  the  world ; but  then  I would 
have  no  country.  I have  no  interest  at  stake  except  the 
welfare  of  my  beloved  country.  Naturally  the  property 
that  I own  here  will  become  more  valuable  if  the  island 
goes  to  the  United  States ; but  why  should  I be  blamed  for 
that  ? I do  not  desire  office  ; all  I want  is  to  be  sure  that 
my  property  will  be  handed  down  to  mj  children  with  cer- 
tainty; but  under  the  present  state  of  things  there  is  none. 
We  have  no  money;  we  have  not  enough  people  in  the 
island  to  make  it  prosperous ; we  are  liable  to  attack  from 
Hayti  at  any  moment  they  may  have  a revolution  there ; 
and,  therefore,  for  our  own  safety  we  want  annexation.” 

We  went  through  the  town  to  examine  more  closely  the 
stocks  of  merchandise  in  the  stores,  which  we  found  were 
mostly  supplied  with  goods  from  St  Thomas,  which,  being 
a free  port,  is  enabled  to  undersell  all  other  points  in  this 
region.  I found,  however,  that  a good  many  domestic  dry 
goods  could  be  used  here  to  advantage.  Straw  hats,  boots 
and  shoes,  hardware,  agricultural  implements,  ice,  and 
many  other  things,  could  be  shipped  here  to  advantage 
from  English  and  American  markets,  if  the  island  should 
become  properly  settled  and  governed. 

Leaving  Puerto  Plata,  and  going  on  board  the  steamer, 
we  found  quite  a number  of  passengers,  who  were  taking 
the  opportunity  of  going  to  Samana  and  St  Domingo  city, 
some  of  them  quite  black,  but  all  equal  in  cabin  or  at  table. 
It  was  a beautiful  bright  afternoon  as  we  took  our  depar- 
ture ; and  as  we  ran  close  along  the  coast,  with  the  fresh 
trade  winds  blowing,  it  was  most  enjoyable.  The  whole 
coast  resolves  itself  into  a constantly  changing  panorama 
of  noble  hills,  beautiful  savanas,  bold  headlands,  charming 
curvatures  of  coast,  with  its  belt  of  sand  and  surf  separating 


190 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


the  rich  green  verdure  from  the  pure  ultramarine  of  the 
sea. 

Shoals  of  flying-fish  j like  myriad  bits  of  pearl,  leap  and 
glisten  from  water  into  sun,  their  peaceful  sports  sadly 
interrupted  by  the  voracious  dolphin,  which,  with  its  grace- 
ful form  in  glistening,  varied  colours,  jumps,  in  its  eager- 
ness, high  out  of  water. 

No  habitations  are  seen  in  the  entire  extent  of  coast, 
and  only  one  small  harbour,  in  which  lies  a vessel  loading 
with  mahogany  logs  from  the  adjacent  hills  ; and  yet  this 
is  classic  ground,  for  here  were  the  abodes  of  over  a million 
of  the  native  Indians ; and  here  too,  over  these  waters, 
sailed  the  grand  Colon  when  on  his  way  back  to  carry  to 
the  old  world  the  fresh  glad  tidings  of  the  new. 

Almost  all  the  coast  is  lined  with  mangrove-trees,  which 
are  usually  considered  an  indication  of  marshy  soil.  Some 
of  these  trees  are  so  large  their  trunks  would  make  a good 
sized  rafter ; the  bark  is  most  useful  for  tanning  purposes, 
but  the  branches  are  the  home  of  myriads  of  mosquitoes, 
the  roots  being  inhabited  by  the  crab  and  the  oyster.  An 
eminent  physician  travelling  on  board  the  steamer,  • a 
gentleman  familiar  with  every  part  of  the  globe,  informed 
me  that  he  found  from  experience,  that  wherever  this  tree 
grew  there  was  always  a certain  amount  of  malaria  and  its 
adjunct  fever  prevailing.  This  he  accounted  for  from  the 
fact  that  the  mangrove,  flourishing  in  low  places  at  the  water 
side,  has,  if  I may  so  describe  it,  its  roots  growing  in  the 
form  of  an  inverted  cage,  into  which  the  refuse  vegetable, 
dead  fish,  and  other  matter  is  carried  by  the  current  and 
permanently  lodged ; and  this  forming  a mass  of  decom- 
posed material,  an  effluvia  is  produced  creating  disease  and 
pestilence.  The  removal  of  this  tree  from  localities  has 
always  been  accompanied  by  an  improved  sanitary  condition 
of  the  vicinity. 

There  is  usually  along  the  whole  of  this  coast  a line  of 
surf,  but  at  low  water  some  of  the  bars  are  left  bare,  and 


I 


THE  MAX  ATI, 


191 


on  these  are  found  lobsters  of  extremely  large  size  ; basins 
in  the  rocks  are  filled  with  shell  and  other  fish,  while  coral 
and  sea-plants  are  also  to  be  had. 

In  such  places  the  voracious  shark  makes  its  home,  and, 
at  more  rare  intervals,  the  manati  or  sea-cow — before 


The  Manati 


alluded  to  as  the  siren  of  Columbus — is  found.  In  Ogilvy’s 
Voyages  ” I find  a curious  account  of  these  animals  when 
they  were  more  plentiful  than  they  are  now.  He  describes 
it  as  Itreeding  in  the  sea,  but  also  as  ascending  rivers, 
where,  going  asliore,  it  eats  grass.  One  of  tlie  caciques 
kept  in  a lake  one  of  these  strange  creatures  (Guayando), 


192 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


which  was  so  tame,  that  when  called  by  its  name,  Matoom, 
it  would  come  out  of  the  water  and  go  directly  to  the 
cacique’s  house,  where,  being  fed,  it  returned  to  the  lake 
accompanied  by  men  and  boys  who  seemed  to  charm  the 
manati  by  their  singing,  and  it  often  carried  two  children 
at  a time  on  its  back ; being  once,  however,  struck  by  a 
pike  in  the  hands  of  a Spaniard,  it  would  never  after  come 
out  of  the  water  if  there  was  a clothed  man  near.  This 
particular  animal,  it  is  stated,  lived  twenty-six  years  in 
that  lake. 

Those  who  nave  seen  the  Frenchman  and  his  pet  seals  at 
the  London  Zoological  Gardens,  will  be  prepared  to  credit 
this  rather  fabulous  account. 

After  leaving  Puerto  Plata  the  coast  line  tends  in  a 
south-easterly  direction  to  the  prominent  point-  Old  Cape 
(Francis),  a name  given  to  it  by  Columbus,  just  around 
which  is  the  first  settlement  of  any  importance  along  the 
coast,  the  little  village  of  Tres  Amaras. 

The  country  for  the  first  twenty  miles  after  leaving 
Puerto  Plata  by  land,  to  the  little  bay  of  La  Goleta,  is 
quite  level  and  singularly  adapted  to  agriculture,  there 


Cabo  Viejo  (Old  Cape). 


CAPE  GABRON. 


193 


being  many  extremely  well  ordered  and  organised  planta- 
tions, the  residences  of  some  American  and  German  settlers, 
who  only  await  the  settlement  of  the  affairs  of  the  country 
to  enter  regularly  into  the  production  of  the  fruits  and 
plants  for  which  the  island  is  famous. 

Beyond  Cabo  Yiego  (Old  Cape),  almost  to  the  peninsula 
of  Samana,  there  is  hardly  a little  village  of  any  import- 
ance ; and  though  the  road,  if  such  it  can  be  called, 
generally  traverses  the  coast  line,  with  innumerable  creeks 
and  lagoons  to  cross,  the  country  for  some  distance  inwards 
is  quite  hilly,  and  often  rocky.  At  the  Bay  of  Matanzas 
there  is  a small  village  of  a few  houses,  where  is  stationed 
a small  guard  of  Dominican  soldiers  from  the  interior  town 
of  Macoris  ; but  the  road  to  it  is  so  little  used,  it  has 
become  almost  obliterated,  and  the  free  use  of  the  machete 
is  necessary  to  open  a way.  Beyond  Matanzas,  to  the 
west,  the  country  is  almost  entirely  primeval  forest ; but 
the  land  is  low  and  level,  and  capable,  if  cleared,  of  making 
a fine  agricultural  country. 

Clearing  Old  Cape,  the  steamer  makes  a direct  line 
almost  to  Cape  Cabron  or  Lover’s  Cape,  the  extreme  north- 
eastern part  of  the  island,  the  coast  line  forming  between 
these  two  points  a large  bight  or  bay,  on  the  eastern  side  of 
which  begins  what  is  called  the  peninsula  of  Samana,  but 
which,  in  fact,  may  be  deemed  an  island  ; for  though  now 
the  channel  of  the  Gran  Estero  is  almost  filled  up,  yet  the 
authorities  of  the  past  speak  of  this  passage  as  being  open, 
though  in  the  time  of  the  early  French  the  peninsula  was 
known  as  Presque  Isle,”  while  some  early  maps  have  it 
distinctly  marked  as  an  island. 

Along  the  whole  of  this  north  coast  of  Samana  stretch 
the  coral  reefs  that  form  the  little  groups  of  islands 
known  as  Los  Ballaenas,  Los  Canas,  &c.,  while  the  shore 
itself  curves  to  the  very  edge  of  the  sea  in  abrupt  hills.  . 

Towering  above  these,  at  the  very  extreme  point  of  Cape 
Cabron,  is  the  landmark  of  the  mariner,  the  celebrated 


194 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


‘‘ Pilon  d’Azuc”  (sugar  pan),  which  raises  its  verdure- 
clad  peak  nearly  two  thousand  feet  above  the  sea. 

Port  Jackson,  in  this  natural  bight,  is  the  only  hay  of 
any  importance,  and  to  which  the  natives  at  certain  seasons 
resort  for  turtle.  Its  waters  are  smooth,  and  protected 
from  the  sea  by  a coral  reef  that  stretches  almost  entirely 
across  its  mouth. 

Thus  the  whole  of  this  coast  presents  to-day  to  our  eyes 
undoubtedly  the  same  appearance  it  did  when  Columbus, 
with  his  heart  full  of  the  grandness  of  his  discovery,  and 
looking  forward  with  anxious  hope  to  the  moment  when 
he  should  make  it  known  to  his  beloved  Queen  Isabella, 
directed  along  this  beautiful  shore  the  prow  of  his  little 
bark  in  the  direction  of  the  coast  of  Castile. 

Sailing  over  the  same  waters,  amid  these  same  scenes,  it 
requires  little  stretch  of  imagination  to  picture  at  this 
vesper  hour  the  tenor  and  the  earnestness  of  the  evening 
prayers  of  so  devout  a man ; for — 


“ ’Twas  the  hour  of  day 
When  setting  suns  o’er  summer  seas  display 
A path  of  glory  opening  in  the  west 
To  golden  climes  and  islands  of  the  blest, 

And  human  voices  on  the  silent  air 

Went  o’er  the  waves  in  songs  of  gladness  there.” 


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PLAN  OF  SAMANA  BA'‘ 


CHAPTER  XI 


“ Long  on  the  wave  the  morning  mists  reposed. 
Then  broke,  and  melting  into  light,  disclosed 
Half-circling  hills,  whose  everlasting  woods 
Sweep  with  their  sable  skirts  the  shadowy  floods.  ’ 


Samana  and  the  South  Coast — Cape  Samana — Balandra  Head 
— The  Bay  of  Samana — Santa' Barbara — General  Account 
of  Samana  Bay — The  Caves  of  San  Lorenzo — Savafina  la  Mar 
— Voyage  round  the  South  Coast. 

T\AY  had  hardly  broken  when,  turning  out  on  deck,  I 
^ found  we  were  just  rounding  Cape  Samana,  a bold 
high  headland  with  apparently  a terraced  front,  an  appear- 
ance produced  by  its  being  a double  cliff,  the  upper  of 
which  rises  a short  distance  within  the  summit  of  the 
lower.  The  face  of  these  cliffs  appears  steep  and  gloomy 
at  this  early  morning  hour,  but  an  occasional  gleam  of 
light  shows  their  general  colour  to  be  red,  the  levels  of  the 
terrace  being  covered  with  vegetation. 

Although  this  point  is  considered  as  the  beginning  of 
the  bay  shore,  with  its  other  or  southern  point  at  Cape 
Rafael,  a glance  at  the  maj)  will  show  that  Samana  Bay 
proper  begins  at  the  south-eastern  point  of  the  peninsula 
of  Samana  known  as  Balandra  Head,  of  which,  as  day 
fairly  opened,  we  caught  our  first  sight,  as  also  of  this 
noble  bav. 


196 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


•■■I  V 


tA 


Balandra  Head  is  a remarkable  red  cliff  l}dng  at  the 
foot  of  Mount  Diablo,  which,  about  one  and  a half  miles 
back,  rises  1300  feet  higdi.  Between  the  base  of  Balandra 

Head,  its  continuous  line  of  hills,  and  the 
shore,  lies  a most  attractive  sloping  levee 
covered  with  vegetation,  and  which  would 
be  most  charming  sites  for  coffee  or  sugar 
estates,  to  say  nothing  of  their  beauty  and 
value  as  places  of  marine  residence  for  the 
inhabitants  of  the  future  immense  city  of 
|i  Samana.  But  from  this  point  we  caught 
our  first  sight  of  the  far-famed  bay  whose 
name  is  now  so  familiar  in  the  United 
States.  Worthy  indeed  of  all  that  has 
been  said  about  its  size  and  beauty,  it 
broke  upon  me  as  the  most  superb  harbour 
I had  ever  seen,  and  before  which  even 
those  large  and  lovely  bays  of  the  Ever 
Faithful  Isle  ” (Cuba)  must  pale. 

Such  is  the  extent  of  this  noble  bay, 
that  no  picture,  however  large,  could  do 
justice  to  its  appearance ; but  a glance 
at  the  accompanying  map  will  give  my 
readers  an  idea  of  the  form  of  this  superb 
sheet  of  water,  the  coveted  prize  of  many 
Governments.  In  imagination  clothe  the 
sides  of  this  bay  with  bold  high  hills,  vary- 
ing from  200  to  2000  feet  high,  from  which 
_ slope  gently  to  the  sea  charming  valleys 

fev  covered  with  trees  and  vegetation ; indent 

the  shore  with  coves,  or  here  and  there 
small  harbours,  whose  white  sandy  shores 
glisten  in  the  tropic  sun,  and  you  have 
some  idea  of  this  beautiful  bay  that  Columbus  himself  has 
named  the  Bay  of  Arrows,”  being  the  place,  it  is  said, 
where  the  blood  of  the  children  of  the  New  World  was  first 


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1 


BA  Y OF  CLARA. 


197 


drawn  by  those  from  the  Old.  Here  resided  the  subjects  of 
the  cacique  Cayacoa,  whose  widow  was  afterwards  baptized 
in  the  Catholic  faith  as  Dona  Inez  Cayacoa. 


Balandra  Head. 


As  we  enter  more  fully  the  bay,  we  come  to  a point  from 
which  the  channel  resolves  itself  into  a rather  narrow 
space,  with  the  land  close  at  hand  on  one  side,  but  shoals 
on  the  other  that  forbid  all  attempts  at  entrance  there  ; and 
this  is  the  point  selected  for  the  site  of  the  old  Spanish 
fort  still  to  be  seen. 

Having  cleared  this  passage  or  narrows,  the  channel 
widens  into  a noble  bay  called  the  Bay  of  Clara,  and  from 
here,  in  a north-westerly  direction,  the  steamer  heads  for 
the  now  famous  town  of  Samana,  which  is  situated  in  a 
bight  or  bay  indented  in  the  coast,  the  little  island  of 
Carenero  Iviim  at  its  mouth,  while  other  small  but  most 
romantic-looking  islands  jire  scattered  at  intervals  within 
it.  Lookiim  out  into  the  ^:reat  bav  between  two  or  three  of 
these,  with  their  rich  foliage,  and  the  graceful  forms  of  tin* 
cocoa  and  palm  reflected  in  dark  shadows  in  the  water, 
IG 


198 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


which  the  glowing  glory  of  a rising  sun  serves  to  illu- 
minate, the  traveller  from  the  north  cannot  help  being 
impressed  by  the  richness  of  the  tropical  climate,  and  he 
begins  to  appreciate  the  strong  attachment  these  children 
of  the  sun  have  for  their  homes  amid  such  scenes. 

Samana  Bay  proper,  known  also  as  Port  Santa  Barbara, 
may  be  more  properly  described  as  an  inlet  running  one 
and  a third  miles  east  and  west,  and  is  one  quarter  to  one 
half  a mile  wide.  The  north  shore  is  formed  of  irregular 
hills  which  rise  a short  distance  from  it  to  a considerable 
elevation ; the  head  of  the  bay  is  low  and  swampy,  the 
south  side  being  sheltered  by  a reef  and  several  keys. 

The  town  of  Santa  Barbara  is  at  the  west  end  of  the  bay 
at  the  base,  and  on  the  side  of  some  hills,  which  are 
hidden  almost  from  the  east  by  a bold  headland,  on  the 
summit  of  which  is  a small  Dominican  fort  in  a rather 
dilapidated  condition.  The  anchorage  off  the  little  town 
is  so  good,  that  it  is  said  a vessel  may  run  its  bowsprit 
ashore  anywhere  in  the  harbour;  but  there  is  a diversity  of 


Santa  Barbara. 


opinion  as  regards  its  healthfulness.  The  town  itself  is  a 
mere  congregation  of  one-storied  houses,  some  frame,  but 


SAMJ^^A  CITY. 


199 


most  of  them  huts  constructed  of  the  palm-leaf,  in  which 
the  natives  swing  their  hammocks  in  lieu  of  beds.  There 
appears  no  commerce,  and  really  no  business,  if  I except 
the  selling  of  the  few  fruits  the  country  produces,  the 
bananas  and  oranges  being  particularly  fine. 

I had  here  an  illustration  of  the  facility  with  which  a 
dog  is  given  a had  name,”  for  my  companion,  having  gone 
ashore  to  purchase  some  bananas,  selected  the  very  largest 
he  saw.  Not  speaking  Spanish,  and  the  dusky  saleswoman 
not  understanding  English,  a lively  time  they  had  together 
in  their  trading,  much  to  my  amusement  while  reclining 
in  the  boat.  On  my  asking  the  cause  of  the  extremely 
demonstrative  proceedings,  he  explained  to  me  in  high 
glee  that  the  woman  wished  to  take  advantage  of  him,  by 
making  him  take  the  smaller  bananas  in  place  of  the  large 
green  ones  he  had  selected. 

Great  was  his  disgust  and  chagrin  at  finding  that  he  had 
obstinately  refused  to  be  honestly  dealt  with,  since  the 
fruit  he  had  bought  w^as  only  good  for  cooking while  the 
smaller  ones  were  the  choicest  kind  for  eating. 

The  population  is  not  over  800  or  1000  souls,  the  ma- 
jority of  whom  are  blacks,  either  emigrants  themselves,  or 
descendants  of  those  who  came  from  the  United  States  in 
Boyer’s  time. 

The  present  site  of  Samana  city  is  by  no  means  the 
best  for  a port,  as  there  are  many  farther  along  the  coast 
more'  desirable,  but  particularly  the  place  mentioned  in 
old  wTiters  as  Point  Martiniquois  or  Coroso,  about  ten  miles 
farther  west,  where  it  is  said  the  knowing  ones  expect  to 
locate  the  famous  city  of  the  future. 

Here  there  is  a fine  situation,  healthy  air,  plenty  of  stone 
and  wood,  and  abundance  of  pure  w'ater ; but  the  whole 
of  the  south  coast  of  the  peninsula  forming  the  north  side 
of  the  bay  is  desirable,  having  a fine  level  beach,  and 
gently  rolling  hills  capable  of  the  highest  cultivation. 

At  the  bottom  of  the  bay,  where  the  river  Yuna  enters 


200 


SANTO  DO  IN  GO. 


by  its  various  mouths  through  an  extensive  marsh,  there 
is  no  desirable  shore,  and  a bar  of  mud  as  yet  renders 
navigation  up  that  river  impracticable,  except  to  small 
boats  drawing  not  over  two  feet  of  water. 

The  mouth  of  this  river  being  cleaned  out,  will  afford  a 
navigable  means  of  access  to  the  great  valley  of  the  Vega 
Real.  The  right  to  control  this  navigation,  as  well  as  to 
build  a railroad  and  telegraph  lines  from  the  city  of  Santiago, 
has  been  conceded  to  a private  company  on  most  liberal 
terms;  grants  of  alternate  square  leagues  of  land  on  each 
side  of  the  road,  not  private  property,  have  been  given,  and 
permission  to  use  the  stone  and  timber  on  Grovernment  land, 
without  payment,  in  the  construction  of  the  road  and  its 
repair,  while  all  material  needed  on  the  road  imported 
into  the  island  is  exempt  from  duty. 

From  the  Gran  Estero,  or  salt  marshes,  at  the  mouth  of 
the  Yuna,  along  the  south  side  of  the  bay,  the  shore  is 
generally  rough  and  irregular,  and  in  many  places  in- 
accessible by  land  and  sea,  composed  as  it  is  of  sterile 
rock ; while  islets  of  the  same  are  scattered  at  intervals 
along  the  coast,  among  which  are  found  innumerable  beds 
of  oysters. 

At  the  end  of  this  string  of  islands  is  the  famous  Bay 
of  Pearls,  facing  to  the  west,  and  bounded  on  the  north 
by  a tongue  of  land ; it  has  good  anchorage  for  vessels  of 
the  largest  size. 

On  the  shores  of  this  bay  are  the  noted  caves  of  San 
Lorenzo,  which,  if  time  permits,  are  well  worth  a visit  by 
the  traveller.  They  are  similar  in  their  formation,  and 
are  of  the  same  character,  as  those  of  Bel  la  Mar  near 
Matarizas,  Ouba. 

A narrow  aperture  opens  into  a series  of  large  and 
wonderfully  formed  chambers,  the  roofs  of  which,  as  well 
as  the  walls,  ar^  composed  of  superb  stalactites,  which 
reflect  every  colour  of  light,  while  the  floors  of  white  sand 
give  a charming  air  of  purity  to  the  scene. 


SA  VA  iVJVA  LA  ALA  R. 


201 


Savanna  la  Mar,  a little  farther  east,  is  a small  settle- 
ment of  about  a hundred  houses,  originally  peopled  by  per- 
sons from  the  Canaries,  at  the  same  time  as  its  opposite 
neighbour  Samana.  It  is  quite  a small  place,  with  a 
scattered  population  of  about  300  souls.  In  order  to  get 
ashore,  the  same  process  is  necessary  as  at  Puerto  Plata, 
by  boat  and  negro-back,  or  wadiog. 

This  village  is,  however,  situated  at  the  end  of  a plain 
of  great  extent,  being  more  than  thirty  miles  long  from 
east  to  west,  and  extending  some  twelve  miles  to  the 
south,  where  the  southern  range  of  hills  separates  it  from 
the  great  plains  of  Seybo.  All  the  land  of  this  plain  is 
capable  of  extended  agriculture,  though  now  devoted 
principally  to  grazing  purposes,  for  which  it  is  well 
adapted,  being  well  supplied  with  water  from  some  nine 
streams.  This  is,  in  fact,  the  only  extent  of  land  on 
this  side  of,  and  adjacent  to,  the  Bay  of  Samana  capable  of 
culture. 

The  country  round  Samana  is  comparatively  unsettled. 
One  sees  here  and  there  the  huts  of  the  natives,  who  are 
engaged  principally  in  “ killing  time,”  varied  by  a slight 
•stroke  of  manual  labour  in  the  small  gardens  or  farms, 
upon  which  grows  most  everything  of  its  own  accord  that 
can  grow  in  a tropical  country. 

The  women,  with  precious  little  apparel  on  themselves, 
occupy  their  time  gaining  a livelihood  washing  for  others  ; 
but  as  household  exi)enses  are  light  with  them,  owing  to 
the  fact  that  the  principal  sustenance  is  the  plantain, 
roasted  or  boiled,  and  the  clothing  and  schooling  of  the 
children  costs  nothing,  since  they  have  neither,  they  (the 
people)  do  not  need  to  earn  a great  deal,  and  therefore  do  not 
make  the  effort.  One  meets  them  on  the  borders  of  the 
shore  with  huge  baskets  on  their  heads  filled  with  clothes, 
the  only  garment  worn  by  them  being  a loose  semi-gown, 
whilst  following  are  members  of  the  rising  generation  in 
a happy  state  of  nature. 


202 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


The  familiar  donkey,  while  in  every  part  of  the  world  a 

subject  of  ridicule  and 
amusement,  yet  seems 
always  to  be  made  a 
useful  servant,  no  matter 
how  small  and  odd  look- 
ing ; and  here  among 
the  Dominicans  he  is 
met  with,  rough,  ill- 
treated,  and  small,  and 
yet  with  an  immense 
pack-saddle, constructed 
in  the  rudest  manner, 
of  straw  or  palm-leaf,  placed  upon  his  back,  performing 
most  of  the  carrying  trade  that  is  done. 

On  the  mainland  we  found  the  establishment  of  a New 
Englander,  a young  man  who  had  come  out  from  Maine, 
and  established  himself  in  the  culture  of  the  banana  fruit 
and  growing  of  cocoa-nuts.  With  a small  capital  of  some 
$2500  he  has  been  enabled  to  establish  himself,  and  feels 
so  much  charmed  and  encouraged  by  the  climate  and  life 
there,  that  under  no  consideration  will  he  leave  unless  an- 
nexation fails.  He  plants  his  bananas  just  as  apples  are 
planted  in  the  North,  in  regular  rows,  and  the  fruit  is  so 
much  improved  by  culture,  that  already  his  bananas  have  a 
reputation  in  the  market.  His  wife,  also  from  New 
England,  is  out  here  with  him,  and  pronounces  the 
climate  the  most  lovely  in  the  world,  and  that  had  she 
only  society,  she  could  desire  no  pleasanter  place  in  which 
to  live. 

Samana  Bay,  the  most  superb  harbour  in  the  West 
Indies,  in  the  time  of  the  early  Spaniards  does  not  appear 
to  have  interested  the  Spanish  authorities  as  to  its  great 
importance,  though  the  early  chroniclers  refer  to  it  always 
in  terms  of  high  praise  as  a place  where  a shipping  port 
for  an  agricultural  people  might  be  established. 


Donkey. 


BANISTER  ISLANDS. 


202 


The}"  were,  however,  at  that  time  interested  in  the  smaller 
ports  of  St  Domingo  and  Puerto  Plata,  as  places  more 
convenient  for  the  shipment  of  the  ores  from  the  mines, 
which  at  that  time  was  the  great  interest  of  the  island ; 
besides,  in  those  days,  when  steam  was  unknown,  Samana, 
from  a peculiarity  of  some  of  the  winds  that  prevail  in  the 
bay,  was  not  a desirable  port  for  the  ill-constructed, 
unwieldy  sailing  vessels  of  the  time. 

The  old  writers  generally  agree  as  to  the  Bay  of  Samana 
being  about  sixty  miles  long,  but  they  calculate  the  bay  as 
beginning  at  the  extreme  point  of  the  peninsula  at  Cape 
Samana.  Modern  writers,  however,  making  their  calcula- 
tions based  upon  various  surveys,  agree  that,  starting  from 
Balandra  Head  to  the  mouth  of  the  Yuna,  the  length  is 
about  twenty-five  to  thirty  miles ; the  width  between  Cape 
Samana  and  the  southern  point.  Cape  Bafael,  being  about 
twenty-one  miles ; the  average  width  of  the  bay  proper, 
however,  is  onlv  about  thirteen  miles. 

The  actual  entrance  to  this  superb  bay  is,  however,  quite 
narrow,  for  there  extends  from  the  southern  cape  to  a 
clump  of  rocks  or  islands,  known  by  the  various  names  of 
Rebels,  Banister,  andLevantados,  a line  of  shoals  or  breakers. 

By  this  means  two  channels  are  created,  the  southern 
one  of  which  is  known  as  Half-moon  Passage  (Media 
Luna),  but  this  is  only  available  for  small  vessels. 

The  northern  passage  will  admit  vessels  of  the  largest 
size,  and  is  capable  of  being  easily  defended,  as  from  the 
islands  or  rocks  of  the  Levan tados  to  the  shore  of  the  main- 
land the  distance  is  little  more  than  a mile. 

In  olden  times  great  difficulty  was  experienced  in  enter- 
ing this  bay,  and  some  very  serious  wrecks  have  occurred;' 
but  now  the  bay  is  so  well-known  that  no  danger  is 
experienced  in  making  this  harbour. 

Banister  Islands  received  their  names  from  an  English- 
man turned  pirate,  whose  vessel  was  attacked  by  two 
English  frigates  in  1G90;  but  carrying  his  guns  and  crew 


204 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


ashore,  Banister  compelled  them  to  retreat  in  a damaged 
state,  though  his  own  vessel  was  sunk. 

Attention  was  first  called  to  this  hay  the  freebooters, 
who,  extending  along  the  north  coast  of  the  island,  and 
finally  overrunning  the  peninsula  of  Samana,  established 
in‘this  bay  their  place  of  rendezvous. 

As  the  French  gradually  acquired  a permanent  hold  as 
successors  to  the  buccaneers  on  Tortuga  and  the  west,  end, 
the  Spanish  authorities  became  alarmed  and  made  efforts  to 
hold  it;  and  finally,  in  1756,  a number  of  inhabitants  were 
brought  over  from  the  Canaries,  and  they  were  given 
plantations  and  live  stock  with  which  to  begin  a settle- 
ment. This  effort  was  so  badly  sustained,  that  the  place 
languished  until,  in  the  revolution  of  St  Domingo,  a num- 
ber of  French  refugees  sought  safety  here,  and  established 
themselves,  creating  some  sugar  estates. 

On  the  uniting  of  the  whole  island  under  Boyer,  these 
people  left,  and  the  coloured  population  from  the  United 
States  came. 

The  French  always  laid  much  value  on  the  possession  of 
this  part,  and  England  was  at  one  time  extremely  anxious 
to  secure  it,  being,  as  it  undoubtedly  is, 'the  key  to  the 
southern  passage  of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico. 

It  will  be  seen  that,  difficult  as  is  the  entrance  to  this  famed 
bay,  it  is  yet  sometimes  more  difficult  to  leave  it  without 
the  aid  of  steam ; for  sailing  vessels  cannot  make  their  way 
out,  unless  with  the  land-breeze  blowing,  and  often  the 
sea-breeze  blows  so  steadily  that  it  is  impossible  to  get  out 
for  a long  time.  Should,  however,  a great  harbour  be 
established  here,  this  objection  could  be  easily  overcome 
by  the  use  of  steam-tugs. 

Every  authority,  as  well  as  practical  investigation,  serves 
to  confirm  the  belief  that  Samana  Bay  and  its  surround- 
ings is  a spot  particularly  adapted  by  nature  to  be  a grand 
arsenal  or  navy-yard  for  the  power  that  owns  it. 

The  peninsula,  though  not  very  extensive,  will  afford 


COAL. 


205 


occupation  and  nourishment  to  a large  body  of  agri- 
culturists in  the  raising  of  fruits  and  vegetables,  and  in  the 
culture  of  the  cotfee,  cocoa,  and  cocoa-trees,  to  which  the 
hills  are  well  adapted.  Sugar-cane  can  be  produced  upon 
the  plains,  while  the  timber  is  abundant  for  the  purposes 
of  commerce  and  shipbuilding. 

The  great  valley  of  the  Yega  Real,  drained  by  the  Yuna, 
with  a current  of  four  miles  an  hour,  will  pour  into  its  lap 
an  inexhaustible  supply  of  agricultural  products  and  pre- 
cious wmods  ; and  wherever  and  whenever  that  spot  may 
be  selected  for  a city  on  this  noble  bay,  under  a sound 
Government  it  is  destined  in  the  future  to  be  the  great 
commercial  port  of  this  part  of  the  world,  rivalling  even 
Havana  or  Vera  Cruz. 

Although  there  are  reports  of  abundance  of  coal  on  the 
peninsula,  investigation  does  not  verify  them,  for  the 
specimens  that  have  as  yet  been  discovered  are  simply  the 
common  lignite,  of  comparatively  little  value.  The  captain 
of  the  Tyler  informed  me  he  had  tried  it  in  his  furnaces  to 
no  purpose. 

The  experience  of  residents  and  the  records  of  authorities 
prove  that,  in  a general  sense,  this  district  is  very  healthy, 
and  free,  ordinarily,  from  epidemics.  On  the  low  lands,  or 
w^here  the  mangrove-trees  prevail,  there  is  always  more  or 
less  of  the  “ calentura,”  or  slow  fever  of  the  country, 
which,  perhaps,  under  certain  circumstances,  may  terminate 
in  bilious  typhoid,  or  even  yellow'  fever;  ordinarily  it  is,  how- 
ever, a trifling  affair,  soon  conquered  with  a little  attention. 

Samana  is  esteemed  both  a hot  and  w’et  place,  there 
being  the  usual  rainy  season,  with  frequent  show'ers  in  the 
dry  season,  while  the  thermometer  ranges  at  midday  as 
high  as  90°  in  the  shade,  though  at  night  and  early  in 
the  morning  throughout  the  year  it  descends  as  low  as 
70°.  This  temperature  is,  however,  alw'ays  rendered  more 
bearable  by  the  constant  breezes  that  prevail. 

It  is  curious  to  read,  in  the  works  of  the  writers  of 


C06 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


different  nationalities,  the  harmony  that  exists  in  their 
sentiments  as  regards  the  importance  and  character  of 
Samana  Bay  ; but  especially  is  this  true  of  the  French.  A 
writer  in  1861,  at  the  time  of  the  proposed  taking  posses- 
sion of  the  island  by  Old  Spain,  writes:  “We  are  particu- 
larly interested  in  maintaining  the  liberty  and  security  of 
Hayti.  This  country  yet  owes  us  fifty  millions  of  francs, 
that  the  invasion  of  Spain  will  jeopardise.  Our  interests  are 
greater  in  the  St  Dominican  question.  The  Haytians 
regard  France  as  a second  mother ; the  men  of  colour  who 
preside  over  their  destiny  belong  to  our  country  by  their 
fathers.^  as  they  belong  to  Africa  by  their  mothers.  The 
advantages,  strategetical  and  commercial,  of  Samana  Bay, 
have  solicited  for  a long  time  the  regards  of  maritime 
nations.  This  basin,  so  magnificent,  where  one  can  enter 
only  by  a channel  of  a mile  wide,  would  be  able  to  contain 
all  the  fieets  of  the  world.” 

Estaing,  in  1764,  undertook  to  found  there^  a great 
establishment.  Louis  Philippe  even,  in  accord  with  the 
recommendation  of  various  French  naval  officers,  had  the 
intention  in  1846  to  establish  a great  arsenal  there,  but  this 
was  frustrated  by  the  English  alliance.  St  Bemy,  in  speak- 
ing of  it,  says : “ Samana  Bay  is  one  of  those  maritime 
positions  that  is  encountered  but  in  two  or  three  places  in 
the  world.  It  is  not  only  the  military  key,  but  the  com- 
mercial key  to  this  part  of  the  world.” 

On  our  arrival  at  Samana  Bay  we  found  that  the  visit  of 
the  United  States  Commission  had  created  great  excite- 
ment among  the  people,  the  members  of  which  had  pursued 
their  investigations  in  every  direction,  and  then  left  for  St 
Domingo  city. 

Following  their  example,  we  steamed  out  of  Samana  Bay, 
and  it  was  not  long  before  we  passed  Montana  Redonda 
(round  mountain),  that  marks  the  southern  point  (Cape 
Rafael)  of  the  bay,  being  prominent  from  its  strong  re- 
semblance to  a sugar-loaf. 


*-• 


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m. 


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. i: 


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t^^i'j^Vi-/^>.;.;„u v-;rti->|iKj?4'S'-' '■  • *it,'  ••.■•'.:■■?'  «‘i 

‘ ► i—  ' " - • ■ ''■'  BftA  » - f .'V*  * 

a •k.  r.  1 . Mik  » ,_  ■■  ■-  ^ i « • . - ,_  •*-  ^ ^ w 


Pf  iw-  - -T 

(I^Jr  i^.*r 


.%  ll» 


' r«3*v^w 


• • . ... 

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f 

* . W^' 

{ .■'  ■' 

’■■..-fij,-  -’  R>^,  ji,j  ■ • 

V*  . 

Vt’V 

r?‘f;-  ,W 
„.  i>,  y<  iS 

* 1 

• 

r « * ^ 


p*  **f -j  'U . ' >^«juLi^44  V t’  V ...  vr,  .*i;<:  K»HKMr>  . i " ei ■ ...  •■  4 » . • . < >^’ 


- .'/  -'-A  ■‘  ■''•y.'*- 


«<Mi 


'.in 


• ^*  , , ., 


/*-  - ',  ? - 


*»>;-■■•« 


“ZO^S'  LLANOSr 


207 


From  here  to  Punta  Espada  (Sword  Point),  the  shore 
presents  the  aspect  of  a series  of  declivities  covered  with 
verdure,  but  apparently  (as  in  fact  they  are)  uninhabited. 

Cape  Engano  marks  the  most  eastern  point  of  the  island, 
and  we  are  now  in  what  is  known  as  the  Mona  Passage, 

' the  name  given  to  the  channel  which  divides  St  Domingo 
from  Puerto  Rico.  In  the  middle  of  this  passage  are  two 
small  islands  known  by  the  names  of  Mona  and  Monita 
(Monkey  and  Cub). 

Mona,  the  larger  of  the  two,  is  about  seven  miles  long 
and  two  wide,  and  was  given  to  Diego  Columbus  by  the 
Spanish  rulers  in  1512  ; and  at  one  time  is.  said  to  have 
been  fully  under  cultivation,  but  now  it  is  uninhabited. 

Tlie  course  of  the  steamer  being  now  entirely  changed, 
she  heads  almost  due  west,  and  we  pass  the  Island  of 
Saona,  once  famous  in  the  annals  of  the  Jesuits  as  a place 
where  they  held  exclusive  control  over  fertile  fields.  It  is 
as  large  as  the  Dutch  Island  of  Curacoa,  and  said  to  be 
infinitely  more  fertile,  though  now  desolate  and  unpro- 
ductive. 

Spread  out  before  us  we  have  a splendid  view  of  the 
entire  coast  line  of  this  southern  shore,  beyond  which, 
stretching  far  away  to  the  interior  of  the  island,  where 
they  are  met  by  the  misty  hills  and  mountains,  lie  those 
wondrous  prairies  or  plains  of  which  we  have  heard  so 
much  by  their  names  of  “ Los  Llanos  ” or  savanas. 

These  occupy  the  whole  extent  of  the  south-eastern  part, 
beginning  at  the  Ozama  on  the  west,  and  terminating  at 
the  eastern  end  of  the  island. 

Far  as  the  eye  can  reach  stretch  these  vast  plains,  covered 
with  long  grass,  with  here  and  there  clumps  of  trees,  an 
occasional  house  or  hut  only  to  be  seen ; while  in  the  far 
distance  is  the  continuation  of  the  Cibao  range  of  hills, 
wliich  divides  these  plains  in  two. 

This  is  the  country  spoken  so  enthusiastically  of  by  St 
Mery  as  being  so  w’ell  adapted  to  sugar  estates ; and  they 


208 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


remind  me,  by  their  extent  and  character,  of  the  vast  sugar 
plains  of  Cuba,  which  teem  with  luscious  wealth.  These  are 
now  occupied  but  by  the  roving  herds  of  cattle  and  their 
attendant  hateros  ” or  herdsmen. 

In  all  this  district  there  are  but  two  villages  of  any  im- 
portance— the  one,  Higuey,  being  at  the  eastern  end  of 
the  island,  on  the  river  Yuna,  which  empties  into  the  Bay 
of  Higuey. 

• This  town  is  renowned  because  of  the  ^ Virgin  of  Alta 
Gracia,”  to  which  superstition  attributes  astounding 
miracles.  It  was  founded  as  far  back  as  1502,  by  John 
of  Esquivel,  and  has  always  been  a place  of  importance  in 
this  part  of  the  island,  though  to-day,  like  all  Do-minican 
towns,  it  is  a straggling,  irregularly  built  place. 

The  other  town,  Seybo,  is  situated  at  the  foot  of  the 
mountains,  nearer  to  the  north  and  centre,  upon  the  right 
bank  of  the  river  of  the  same  name.  It  is  not,  however,  the 
original  town  as  founded  by  the  Spaniards,  but  was  settled 
a century  ago  by  the  farmers  of  the  vicinity,  who  met  there 
to  hear  mass. 

From  the  left  bank  of  the  Ozama  to  Cape  Engano  stretch 
these  vast  plains,  comprising  an  extent  of  country  near 
sixty  leagues  in  length,  containing  700  square  leagues  of 
land,  of  which  more  than  600  are  in  plains,  comprising  a 
body  of  the  finest  agricultural  land  in  the  world,  and  being 
watered  by  many  rivers  of  various  sizes.  The  products  of 
this  section  are  shipped  at  the  romantic  port  of  Bomana 
on  the  coast,  which  is  capable  of  being  made  into  a good 
harbour  for  the  extended  agricultural  products  of  this 
part. 

All  the  inhabitants  are  a fine  class  of  people,  free  and 
independent,  though  of  ditferent  shades  of  colour;  the 
majority  being  the  native  brown  or  creole  white.  I shall 
not  forget  the  impression  made  upon  me  by  the  sight  of 
some  600  of  these  people,  who,  hearing  the  United  States 
Commissioners  were  at  St  Domingo  city,  gathered  together 


ADDRESS  OE  ANNEXATION. 


209 


from  every  direction,  and  marching  np  from  their  homes 
many  weary  miles,  gathered  in  the  great  arsenal  square. 


Meeting  in  Arsenal  Square. 

with  the  flags  of  the  United  States  and  Dominica  unfurled 
at  their  head. 

After  they  had  rested  from  their  long  and  hot  march, 
they  were  drawn  up  in  a hollow  square  by  the  colonel  who 
had  charge  of  them,  and  a priest  (their  padre,  as  they 
called  him),  who  seemed  to  have  great  influence  and 
weight  with  them,  made  them  a stirring  address,  amid 
much  enthusiasm,  in  which  he  said  that  they  would  now, 
perhaps,  have  an  opportunity  of  joining  a great  nation,  in 
which  the  people  were  identified  with  the  cause  of  progress, 
of  intelligence,  and  of  industry  5 it  remained  for  themselves 
to  say  what  they  would  be  when  that  time  came,  as,  if  they 
were  possessed  of  the  above  qualities  of  the  peo])le  of  tliat 
great  nation,  they  would  be  equal  to  any  one  there.  All 
were  equal ; there  was  no  distinction  of  colour,  no  slavery, 
no  tyranny;  notliing  but  freedom  and  protection  from  a 


210 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


strong  Government,  which  would  bring  peace  and  order 
into  their  beautiful  island,  and,  with  their  consent,  pro- 
tection to  industry  and  security  for  property. 

For  himself,  he  said,  though  he  had  been  a Spaniard, 
Puerto  Rican,  Dominican,  and  always  their  padre  (here 
the  entire  multitude  with  much  respect  uncovered),  he  yet 
hoped  to  call  himself  an  American. 

Three  cheers  were  then  given  for  the  Dominican  banner, 
and  then  three  more  for  the  American,  which  wei  given 
with  a will,  when  the  men  broke  ranks  and  took  to  the 
shady  side  of  the  wall  for  rest. 

I seized  hold  of  the  colonel,  who  was  a weather-beaten, 
swarthy  - looking  man  of  medium  height,  with  grizzly 
moustache,  who  told  me  he  was  about  fifty-six  years  of 
age,  and  that  he  had  served  in  the  army  forty- six  years  of 
that  time  in  various  grades ; that  Baez  was  his  chief,  to 
whom  he  was  devoted,  and  he  would  go  just  where  the 
President  told  him.  If  he  (Baez)  was  for  annexation,  so 
was  he,  and  he  knew  it  would  be  a good  thing  for 
Dominica,  else  Baez  wouldn’t  propose  it.  This  was  the 
most  refreshing  and  frank  explanation  of  views  I had 
met  with  from  any  one. 

Alas ! for  those  earnest  people ; they  know  little  of 
‘‘  politics  ” as  understood  in  the  United  States. 

I wandered  among  these  men,  asking  them  questions 
about  their  habits,  hopes,  and  experiences;  and  from  all  I 
heard  but  one  sentiment — discontent  at  the  present  con- 
dition of  affairs  in  the  island,  and  hope  for  the  future,  that 
a connection  with  the  United  States  would  give  them  peace 
and  security. 

Most  of  the  people  seemed  to  be  poor  and  badly  dressed, 
but  none  lacked  energy,  and  all  expressed  a desire  for 
profitable  work,  some  even  asking  if  the  prospect  of  a rail- 
road through  their  country  would  not  afford  means  of 
gaining  money. 

Although  many  of  these  men  had  marched  that  day 


CATTLE  PASTURAGE. 


211 


some  eighteen  or  twenty  miles  through  mud  and  under  a 
hot  sun,  they  contented  themselves  with  a frugal  repast 
of  a roasted  plantain  or  hit  of  jerked  beef,  their  beverage 
being  the  water  carried  in  the  water-bottles  hv  their  sides, 
many  of  them  with  their  pet  gamecocks  carried  on  their 
shoulder  or  under  their  arm. 

Physically,  these  men  are  as  fine  a lot  as  I have  ever 
seen,  and  while  lacking  even  the  elements  of  education. 


they  are  by  no  means  deficient  in  natural  intelligence. 

On  this  plain,  which  we  have  been  describing,  the  cattle 
of  hundreds  of  owners  pasture  in  herds,  being  annually 
collected,  counted,  and  the  young  branded. 

In  the  dry  season  it  is  customary  to  burn  all  the  grass, 
the  cattle  taking  to  the  timber,  which  is  scattered  at 
intervals  in  groups  that  look  as  if  they  had  been  planted 
by  the  hand  of  man,  resembling  great  parks ; near  them 
are  springs  of  water  or  streams,  in  whose  vicinity  grow 
various  shrubs,  upon  which  the  cattle  browse.  In  these 
groves  the  weary  traveller  is  glad,  to  hang  his  hammock 
and  recuperate  himself  from  the  effects  of  the  mid-day 
heat. 


A Weary  Traveller. 


17 


CHAPTER  XII. 


“ A holy  gathering,  i>eaceful  all ; 

No  threat  of  war,  no  savage  call 
For  vengeance  on  an  erring  brother." 


St  Domingo  City — The  United  States  Co?nmission — First  Ini' 
pression  of  the  City — Visit  to  Baez  and  his  Cabinet — Historical 
Notes  of  the  City — Its  Present  Condition  and  Appearance — 
Trade  and  Future  Prospects — Schools — The  Mausoleum  of 
Columbus — Dominican  Amusements — San  Carlos  and  the 
Exterior  of  the  City — The  Harbour  as  a Poi't — Well  of  Colum- 
bus— Mahogany  Trade — Labourers. 

IT  was  the  early  morning  of  one  of  those  perfect  days  with 
which  one  only  meets  in  the  tropics  that  we  came  in 
sight  of  the  famous  old  city  of  St  Domingo.  It  does  not 
make  much  of  an  appearance  as  regards  size  and  grandeur 
when  viewed  from  the  sea  south  of  it ; yet,  seen  this  beauti- 
ful day,  with  its  gaudy-coloured  roofs  and  ruined  age-stained 
and  picturesque  towers,  it  presents  a quaint  and  attractive 
sight,  though  a very  different  one  from  the  splendid  approach 
to  her  younger  and  richer  sister — Havana. 

A queer  old  place  it  is,  and  as  we  come  up  to  its  harbour, 
formed  by  the  mouth  of  the  river  Ozama  emptying  into  the 
sea,  we  cannot  help  imagining  ourselves  back  ages  ago.  As 
we  look  at  the  ancient  walls  and  turrets  that  tower  high 
above  our  heads  in  passing  through  the  narrow  channel  to 
the  harbour,  we  almost  fancy  we  can  see  the  Spanish 
adventurer  of  the  fifteenth  century  bringing  his  arquebus 
to  ‘‘ready,”  as,  dressed  in  the  quaint  costume  of  that  time, 
he  stands  prepared  to  challenge  us  with  his  “ Quien  viva?  ” 
(who  comes  there).  And,  indeed,  it  requires  no  great  stretch 


SANTO  UOMINGO  CITV. 


I 


V 


UNITE!)  STATES  COMAIISSION. 


213 


of  imagination  to  picture  thus  such  scenes,  for  here  is  seen 
no  hand  of  progress  on  these  old  hills,  which  Nature  has 
changed  more  than  man.  Would  that  we  might  truly 
answer  to  the  challenge  of  the  sentry — Here  comes  the 
spirit  of  American  institutions,  to  bring  peace  and  good- 
will, progress,  enlightenment,  and  improvement  to  this  beau- 
tiful but  impoverished,  depopulated,  and  hard-used  land. 

. Here  we  found  the  members  of  the  United  States  Com- 
mission busy  in  seeking  that  information  they  were  sent 
out  to  obtain ; and  never  was  a nation  more  earnestly  and 
honestly  served  than  by  this  body  of  experienced  gentlemen, 
who,  without  hope  of  reward  or  profit,  and  at  much  in- 
convenience to  themselves,  earnestly  and  conscientioush' 
availed  themselves  of  every  means  and  opportunity  to  seek 
the  truth  about  the  affairs  of  the  island. 

In  these  efforts  they  were  immensely  assisted  by  the 
energy  and  intelligence  of  the  correspondents  of  some  of  the 
most  prominent  newspapers  of  the  United  States. 

First  impressions  of  such  a place  as  St  Domingo  city  can- 


The  Oz.'irua— Ruins  of  Colunabus'  House. 


not  fail  to  be  novel  and  strange. 


From  the  time  of  landing 


214 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


at  the  quay,  entirely  deserted  of  shipping,  to  the  moment 
when,  having  secured  quarters  in  the  spacious  saloons  of  a 
Government  palace,  the  traveller  has  a chance  to  collect  his 
thoughts,  every  moment  brings  a new,  interesting,  or 
funny  sight. 

Gaily-coloured  walls,  with  dirty  negroes  sunning  them- 
selves against  them;  narrow  streets,  with  solid-built  houses, 
whose  immense  doors  and  spacious  windows  contrast  forcibly 
with  their  limited  height  of  only  one  or  two  stories  ; broad- 
brimmed-hatted  horsemen  on  small,  compact,  quick-moving 
horses,  contrast  with  the  dusky  urchin  who,  naked  of  every- 
thing but  a shirt,  bestrides  an  immense  straw-saddle  on  the 
back  of  a very  diminutive  donkey, — all  serve,  with  hundreds 
of  other  noticeable  things,  to  strike  the  stranger,  and  impress 
upon  him  the  fact  that  he  has  exchanged  his  Saxon  associa- 
tions of  order,  cleanliness,  and  precision,  for  the  peculiarities 
of  Spanish  tropical  life. 

Knots  of  men  and  women,  mostly  coloured,  and  busy  in 
talk,  are  scattered  about  the  quay  or  in  the  small  open  places 
called  plazas  ; ” odd-looking  stores,  with  still  more  odd- 
looking assortments  of  goods,  are  entirely  open  to  the  gaze 
of  the  passer-by;  while  in  the  market-place  are  noticed  the 
same  peculiarities  observed  at  Puerto  Plata,  only  on  a more 
extended  scale.  Go  where  one  will,  however,  every  one  is 
cheerful,  polite,  and  communicative,  while  the  dusky  fair 
ones  ” presiding  over  piles  of  strange,  unknown  tropical  pro- 
ductions, are  merry, while  obliging  even  in  giving  information. 

Such  are  the  sights  that  to-day  first  greet  the  traveller 
in  the  city  that  at  one  time  was  famous  for  its  magnificence. 

The  day  after  my  arrival  I called  at  the  palace  to  pay 
my  respects  to  the  authorities  and  present  my  letters  of  in- 
troduction. I was  received  by  Mr  Belmonte  in  the  most 
cordial  manner,  and  presented  to  President  Baez,  the 
Secretary  of  State,  Mr  Gautier,  being  present.  They  were 
all  extremely  affable  and  kind,  and  had  rather  a practical 
joke,  though  of  a pleasant  nature,  at  my  expense ; for  on 


PRESIDEXT  BAEZ. 


215 


my  happening  t'o  let  drop  a Spanish  word,  the  President 
laughed  and  said — I must  talk  to  them  all  in  Spanish, 
as  it  was  too  hard  work  for  him  to  talk  English,  and  Mr 
Gautier  did  not  understand  it,  and  therefore  we  should  get 
on  finely  as  one  family.”  We  had  some  pleasant  words 
together,  and  I left  feeling  that  my  first  had  been  anything 
but  a formal  call. 

President  Baez  is  a courtly,  pleasant  man,  of  medium 
height  and  agreeable 
appearance.  He  is 
just  fifty-seven  years 
of  age,  and  would 
never  be  taken  for 
other  than  a Spaniard 
were  it  not  that  his 
liair,  as  he  turns  his 
head,  shows  just  a 
little  of  the  character 
of  the  hair  of  tlie 
African.  He  speaks 
F rench  aswellas  he  does 
Spanish,  but  English 
only  tolerably  well. 

He'  seems  perfectl}" 
frank.  With  the  easy 
air  and  manner  of  a 
thorough  man  of  the  world,  he  impresses  me  as  a perfectly 
u[)right  man,  and  that  seems  to  be  generally  the  impression 
made. 

The  accompanying  portrait  of  him  is  a very  good  one, 
though  somewhat  younger  than  he  now  appears.  The  ])or- 
traits  circulated  representing  him  as  a black  man  are 
utterly  false. 

Mr  Gautier,  the  Secretary  of  State,  is  a man  of  about  forty 
years  of  age,  rather  bald,  with  thin  black  hair,  small,  pierc- 
ing black  eyes  set  well  in  liis  head,  and  with  a noble  brow 


Baez. 


216 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


that  bespeaks  intellect.  He  is  rather  reticent: ; but,  as  he 
speaks  no  English,  it  may  be  for  that  reason,  interpreters 
being  awkward  mediums.  I found  him  conversing  in 
Spanish  agreeable,  but  precise  in  his  expression,  as  though 
he  w^eighed  carefully  each  word,  and  his  entire  head  re- 
sembles somewhat  the  first  Napoleon  as  depicted  in  pictures. 

Minister  Delmonte,  who  has  charge  of  the  public  instruc- 
tion and  education,  is  a mediujn-sized,  spare  man,  with  a 
quick,  nervous  action,  speaking  English  very  well.  He  is 
very  cordial  in  his  manner,  and  seems  honest  and  straight- 
forward. In  fact,  as  far  as  I have  seen  Baez  and  his 
Cabinet,  judging  from  several  interviews  I had  wdth  them, 
my  impressions  are  extremely  favourable,  and  though  pre- 
pare(^  by  articles  in  the  newspapers  of  the  United  States  to 
take  a rather  prejudiced  view  of  some  of  these  gentlemen, 
I confess  I was  entirely  converted  to  the  opinion,  held  even 
by  the  enemies  of  President  Baez,  that  he  is  a remarkably 
talented  man,  earnest  for  the  welfare  of  his  people  and 
country. 

St  Domingo  city,  the  oldest  existing  settlement  in  the 
New  World,  humble  as  it  is  to-day,  is  yet  a place  of  great 
interest  to  the  antiquarian  or  artistic  traveller. 

Its  early  history  is  enveloped  in  a cloud  of  romance,  but 
from  which  have  been  sifted  the  following  facts. 

When  the  Spaniards  were  originally  settled  at  the  town 
of  Isabella  on  the  north  coast,  one  of  their  number,  Miguel 
Diaz,  having  a difficulty  with  a servant  of  Don  Bartholomew 
Columbus,  stabbed  him,  as  he  thought,  to  death,  and  fear- 
ing the  consequences  of  his  act,  fled  into  the  woods,  and 
finally  wandered  to  the  south  side  of  the  island,  where,  enter- 
ing the  domain,  on  the  banks  of  the  Ozama,  of  one  of  the 
native  princesses,  the  latter  eventually  became  enamoured 
of  her  Spanish  guest,  and  it  is  even  said  they  were  finally 
married. 

Diaz  appears  to  have  become  somewhat  tired  of  this 
princess  after  a while,  and  longed  for  the  presence  of  his 


ST  DOMINGO  CITY. 


217 


countrymen ; and  his  wife,  noticing  his  melancholy,  and 
hoping  to  make  him  better  satisfied,  proposed  to  him  to 
briug  his  companions  to  that  region,  telling  him  also,  as  an 
inducement,  of  the  gold  to  be  found  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
river  Jaina. 

Diaz,  big  with  this  news,  appears  to  have  sought  the 
vicinity  of  Isabella,  and  while  loitering  about  there,  learned 
that  the  man  whom  he  supposed  dead  was  still  alive ; and 
thus  feeling  it  safe  to  return,  entered  the  town  and  made 
known  to  Don  Bartholomew  Columbus  the  news  of  the 
c:old  mines  of  the  Jaina.  Bartholomew  immediately  took 
steps  to  verify  this  fact,  and  finding  it  true,  received  orders 
from  his  brother  the  Admiral  to  found  a town  in  the  vicinity. 

The  spot  selected  was  on  the  high  and  commanding  bluff 
on  the  left  bank  of  the  riyerOzama;  and  here,  in  1494, 
August  the  4th,  was  founded  the  new  town,  to  which  was 
giyen  at  first  the  name  of  New  Isabella,  but  which  was  after- 
wards exchanged  for  that  of  St  Domingo,  in  honour,  as 
some  writers  assert,  of  the  day  (Sunday)  on  which  the 
town  was  first  established,  and,  as  others  again  assert,  in 
honour  of  the  father  of  Columbus,  who  was  called  Domingo. 

To  this  place,  in  1496,  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  original 
town  of  Isabella  remoyed,  and  it  soon  became  the  capital 
town  of  the  island.  Columbus  himself  seems  to  have  visited 
it  for  the  first  time  on  his  return  from  Spain  in  August 
1498,  two  years  after  its  foundation. 

Here  the  town  remained,  the  houses  principally  being 
constructed  of  wood,  until  1502,  when  Ovando  came  out  as 
Governor  to  succeed  Bobadilla. 

Tlie  fearful  hurricane  foretold  by  Columbus  was  the  cause 

*/ 

of  its  removal  to  the  other  side,  for  in  that  storm  the  place 
was  entirely  destroyed,  and  Ovando  then  determined  to 
change  its  location  to  the  other  or  right  side  of  the  river. 

This  appears  to  have  been  a great  mistake,  and  Charlevoix 
says  it  was  only  done  because  there  were  already  there  the 
habitations  of  some  Spaniards  ; and  it  is  undoubtedly  lower 


218 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


than  the  other  bank,  and  is  frequently  enveloped  in  the 
vapours  of  the  river,  which  are  created  by  the  sun  driving 
them  before  him — no  small  thing  in  a humid  country.  In 
addition  to  this,  the  opportunity  was  lost  of  always  having 
a supply  of  fresh  water,  while  in  the  new  city  the  people 
liad  to  rely  upon  their  cisterns,  because  the  water  of  the 
Ozama  is  brackish  many  leagues  from  its  mouth. 

The  new  town  made  rapid  progress  from  the  fact  that  a 
number  of  the  inhabitants  built  up  houses  on  speculation, 
which  drew  to  the  place  many  of  those  arriving  from  Spain 
en  route  to  Mexico,  who,  finding  such  a substantial  well- 
built  city,  settled  down  there. 

The  Governor  Ovando  intended  to  bring  the  water  of  the 
river  Jaina,  nine  miles  off,  into  the  town,  and  a part  of  the 
aqueduct  was  even  constructed,  a slab  in  the  principal 
square  still  remaining  to  show  where  there  was  to  be  a 
fountain. 

Oviedo,  the  historian  of  the  time,  in  describing  St 
Domingo  says,  that  as  touching  the  buildings,  there  is  no 
city  in  Spain,  not  even  Barcelona,  so  much  to  be  pre- 
ferred as  San  Domingo.  The  houses  for  the  most  part  are 
of  stone — the  situation  is  much  better  than  Barcelona,  by 
reason  that  the  streets  are  much  larger  and  wider,  and  with- 
out comparison  straighter  and  more  direct,  being  laid  out 
with  cord,  compass,  and  measure.  In  the  midst  of  the  city 
is  the  fortress  and  castle,  and  such  houses  so  fair  and  large 
that  they  may  well  receive  any  lord  or  noble  of  Spain  with 
his  train  and  family,  and  especially  is  this  true  of  that  of 
Don  Diego  Columbus.” 

Although,  from  that  day  to  this,  the  city  has  experienced 
many  changes  and  reverses,  its  general  plan  is  much  the 
same,  and  many  of  the  old  landmarks  are  still  standing. 
Some  of  the  buildings  in  the  vicinitj^  of  the  Cathedral 
having  a very  odd  and  venerable  appearance. 

The  form  of  the  city  is  that  of  a trapezium  or  quad- 
rilateral figure,  whose  four  sides  are  neither  equal  nor 


PL  AX  OF  CITY. 


219 


parallel,  being  about  1100  yards  long  on  the  east  side  to- 
wards the  Ozama,  nearly  1000  yards  on  the  south  side 


|^<?  los  ^ 
^'spo-noles  i 
c,t  J8  og 

|PajraTito 


^ ge  losSagtiann 

I de  lasHuiners  de  To. 

Ciudad  deBiura  Isaheila 
!jS_  a Jceytio  Domingo 

S- 


ST  DOMINGO  CITY. 


1,  2.  Barmck<. 

3.  Powder  niaga;;ine 

4.  Si^al  tower. 

6.  Government  palace. 
8-16.  Churches. 


10.  Ruined  monastery  ^Saii  Francisco). 
17.  General  hospital. 

18  Cathedral. 

22.  SLaughter-house. 

24-20.  Gates. 


bordering  to  the  sea,  and  1900  on  the  lyest  side,  and  north 
toward  San  Carlos. 

The  circumference  of  the  town  is  about  4500  yards,  the 
main  street  running  from  tlie  principal  square  to  the  land 
gate  or  Puerta  del  Conde. 

The  very  walls  of  the  east  side  of  the  city  are  washed 
- « %• 

l>y  the  Ozama,  while  on  the  south,  the  shore  ends  abruptly 
in  bold  rocky  cliffs,  a<minst  which  the  surf  yiolently  dashes  ; 
upon  the  edge  of  this  cliff  extends  an  old  useless  parapet. 


220 


SA^^TO  DOMINGO. 


inside  of  whicli  is  a wide  ample  space  originally  used  as 
the  Paseo”  or  promenade  of  the  townspeople,  but  which 
now,  overgrown  with  grassj  appears  silent  and  neglected 
enough. 

The  outskirts  of  the  city  are  composed  of  rather  un- 


Old  Part  of  St  Domingo. 


attractive  frame  or  semi-clay  huts,  roofed  with  palm  or 
straw ; while  in  the  interior  of  the  town  the  houses  are, 
many  of  them,  solid  and  imposing.  They  are  built  in  the 
old  Spanish  fashion,  usually  of  one  story  in  height,  seldom 
over  two.  A wide  entrance  with  immense  folding  doors 
opens  into  the  hall,  which  conducts  into  the  patio  or  court- 
yard, around  which  are  the  quarters  and  offices.  The  same 
lack  of  glass  in  the  windows,  and  the  use  of  iron  bars, 
seen  in  Cuba,  are  universal  here ; while  the  quietness  of 
many  of  the  old  streets  in  the  upper  part  of  the  town 
reminds  one  of  a city  of  sleepers.  In  the  streets  leading- 
up  from  the  wharf,  and  in  the  vicinity  of  the  market-place, 
more  life  is  seen,  and  the  architecture  of  the  stores  and 
houses,  if  not  so  imposing,  is  more  modern. 

The  whole  city  seems  to  be  built  upon  a solid  limestone 


WATER  SUPPLY. 


221 


formation,  sloping  somewhat  in  the  direction  of  the  river, 
which  makes  its  drainage  easy,  but  appears  to  limit  the 
supply  of  water.  This  is  obtained  principally  from  cisterns, 
that  are  placed  upon  the  flat  roofs,  and  to  which  the  rain 
water  is  conducted  by  the  pipes  from  the  different  roofs. 

The  walls  of  the  older  houses  are  very  solidly  constructed 
either  of  stone  or  the 
material  known  as 
mamposteria,  a mode 
of  architecture  some- 
what similar  to  that 
of  Cuba.  The  method 
of  making  these  walls 
is  simple  and  econo- 
mical. The  glutinous 
earth  of  the  vicinity 
is  taken  and  mixed 
with  lime,  and  some- 
times, as  in  Cuba, 
with  powdered  stone ; 
frames  of  planks  are 
then  made  in  the  de- 
sired form,  and  these 
are  filled  with  layers 
of  this  composition, 
sand  and  lime  beinof 
added.  The  whole  is 
then  moistened  with 
water,  well  ])Ounded 
and  kneaded,  and 
allowed  to  dry,  when  the  mould  being  withdrawn,  leaves  a 
rirni  solid  wall,  which,  on  exposure  to  the  air,  becomes  hard 
as  stone.  Even  the  walls  of  tlie  city  are  built  in  this  way. 

With  the  exception  of  the  old  churches,  there  are  few 
really  imj)Osing  buildings  in  the  city,  the  government 
buildings,  except  for  their  sr)lidity  of  construction,  having. 


liusiuess  Street. 


222 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


nothing  striking  about  them,  though  their  style  of  archi- 
tecture, peculiar  to  Spanish  America,  strikes  the  novice  at 
first  as  somewhat  grand,  from  the  balconied  piazzas  sup- 
ported on  pillars  of  solid  construction. 

The  general  business  of  the  cit}"  appears  very  limited 
indeed,  and  there  are  only  one  or  two  really  large  and  ex- 
tensive stores  with  general  assortments  of  goods.  But 
there  is  always  a certain  amount  of  amusement  to  be 
obtained  by  the  stranger  in  trading  among  these  old 
Spanish  towns.  The  perfectly  easy,  leisurely  way  in  which 
negotiations  are  conducted,  the  amount  of  chaff  and 
compliments  exchanged  even  in  the  most  ordinary  pur- 
chase, is  somewhat  astonishing  to  people  of  the  Anglo- 
Saxon  race  ; and  it  becomes,  after  a while,  quite  a pleasant 
amusement  to  have  a seller  name  some  ridiculous  price  for 
an  article,  just  to  see  to  how  much  one  can  finally  reduce  it. 

In  fact,  it  is  a question  if  St  Domingo  city,  under  any 
circumstances,  will  ever  become  a great  business  place,  in 
its  present  locality  at  least.  The  opposite  bank  is  undoubt- 
edly a more  desirable  location  for  a modern  town  in’  every 
respect;  besides  which,  there  are  so  many  places  in  other 
parts  of  the  island  having  greater  advantages,  that  the 
general  commerce  of  the  island  will  hardly  seek  this  as  its 
port,  however  large  its  local  trade  may  become. 

Even  its  chance  to  be  the  capital  of  the  island  will,  J 
think,  he  disputed  by  the  interior  town  of  Santiago,  which, 
situated  in  the  centre  of  the  island,  in  the  midst  of  a superb 
agricultural  country,  with  ample  water  communication  to 
every  part,  will  have,  with  the  assistance  of  the  railroad, 
the  controlling  power  in  the  island,  becoming  almost  a 
second  Chicago. 

The  principal  trade  of  St  Domingo  city  is  confined  to 
the  shipping  of  mahogany,  dye,  and  cabinet  woods,  which 
are  brought  down  from  the  interior,  as  well  as  the  hides 
from  the  cattle  in  the  Seybo  district,  but  this  entire  trade 
is  limited  in  amount. 


VILLAGE  SCHOOL. 


223 


On  the  opposite  side  of  the  river  the  shore  is  well  adapted 
for  the  erection  of  wdiarves  for  a large  cit}",  there  being  there 
a natural  levee.  On  the  hills  above  is  a little  village  known 
as  Pajarito  (little  bird),  containing  a few  inhabitants  only. 

I was  much  amused,  however,  while  strolling  through 
the  place,  by  a visit  to  the  village  school,  which  was  simply 
a thatched  hut  with  earthen  floor,  where  I found  a number 
of  children,  of  both  sexes  and  of  all  colours,  seated  on  stools 
around  the  room. 

Between  each  pupil  I was  astonished  to  And  a gamecock 
attached  to  a sort  of  perch ; and  on  my  asking  the  children 
for  an  explanation,  they  said,  Oh ! they  belong  to  the 
schoolmaster,  who  fights  them  on  Sunday.”  This  func- 
tionary was  out,  but  I afterwards  met  him,  and  found  him 


A Dofuinican  School. 

to  be  an  intelligent  coloured  man,  highly  amused  at  my 
surprise  at  such  new  means  of  education,  he  explaining  l)y  a 
shrug  of  the  shoulders  and  the  remark,  Cosa  Dominicana.” 
On  Sunday  we  went  to  the  grand  Catliedral  to  hear  the 


224: 


SA.VTO  DOMIXGO, 


morning  service,  high  mass  being*  performed  by  the  Yicar- 
General ; and  though  the  worshippers  were  not  large  in 
numbers,  they  comprised  all  classes  and  colours,  tbe  female 
sex  being  predominant.  The  chanting  of  the  priests  was 
accompanied  by  an  orchestra,  principally  stringed,  and 


The  Mausoleum  of  Columbus. 


small  in  number,  that  was  placed  in  the  choir,  which  is 
constructed  in  the  centre  of  the  church,  a mulatto  with 
strong  nasal  accent  acting  as  leader  of  the  vocalists. 

The  Cathedral,  the  most  interesting  building  in  St  Do- 
mingo, is  in  its  interior  a grand  old  church,  with  pillars 
and  arches  and  crypts  and  altars  innumerable ; and  as  we 
view  its  vast  extent  we  can  readily  believe  the  accounts  of 
the  various  historians,  who  give  such  glowing  relations  of 
its  splendours  in  ancient  days.  Its  exterior  bears  the  marks 
of  its  great  antiquity  upon  its  form,  not  only  in  the  weather- 
stained  walls,  but  in  the  quaint  architecture. 

This  old  church  was  particularly  interesting  to  me  as 


MAUSOLEUM  OF  COLUMBUS, 


225 


having  visited  the  last  resting-place  of  Columbus  in  the 
Cathedral  at  Havana,  I had  now  the  opportunity  of  seeing 
his  first  mausoleum  in  the  New  World ; for  it  was  here  that 
his  remains  were  brought  from  Spain,  as  well  as  those  of 
his  brother  Don  Bartholomew. 

It  seems  extremely  curious,  and  well  illustrates  the  lethargy 
and  decay  of  Spain,  that,  in  1783,  when  Moreau  St  Mery,  a 
Frenchman,  visited  the  city,  it  was  a matter  of  absolute 
doubt  and  uncertainty  as  to  the  resting-place  of  these 
remains ; and  it  was  only  through  his  exertions  they  were 
positively  found  to  be  there,  in  a leaden  coffin,  which  had 
been  walled  up  in  the  Cathedral ; and  even  then  it  was  not 
ascertained  to  a certainty  in  which  coffin  were  the  bones  of 
Columbus  himself.  Another  one  was  found  at  the  same 
time,  containing  those  of  his  brother  Bartholomew. 

This  edifice  stands  facing  the  public  square,  and  is  built 
of  solid  stone.  Gothic  in  architecture,  and  has  a nave  and 
two  wings.  It  was  begun  in  1512  and  finished  in  1540, 
being  constructed  after  the  model  of  a church  in  Rome  ; and 
has  withstood  the  shocks  of  all  earthquakes — a proof  either 
of  the  strength  of  its  walls,  or  else  the  weakness  of  the 
shocks  of  the  earthquakes,  that  once  or  twice  in  two  or  three 
hundred  years  have  visited  this  island. 

The  church  is  entered  by  three  large  doorways  and  two 
porticoes,  these  being  the  most  striking  part  of  the  building, 
massive  and  imposing  in  appearance,  and  richly  carved 
originally,  although  now  worn  with  age. 

To  mount  upon  the  roof,  one  ascends  by  a spiral  staircase 
built  of  stone,  and  from  the  roof  a good  view  of  the  city  is 
obtained  ; and  it  was  upon  this  that  cannon  had  been 
mounted  in  defence  of  the  town,  there  being  even  a bomb- 
shell still  remaining  in  its  wall,  fired  by  the  English  when 
attacking  the  French  in  possession  of  the  city  in  1809. 

The  city  at  one  time  possessed  a large  number  of  church 
organisations,  being,  as  it  was  then,  the  principal  arch- 
bishopric of  the  New  World.  Wlien  tliev  were  all  in  full 
18 


226 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


operation,  there  were  two  or  three  monasteries,  two  nun- 
neries, several  hospitals,  and  a number  of  parochial  or 


Cathedral  Door. 


minor  churches.  All,  or  most  of  them,  are  now  either  extinct 
or  gone  to  such  decay  as  is  sad  to  witness. 

Many  of  these  institutions,  but  particularly  the  Cathedral, 
were  rich  in  gold  and  silver  ornaments  and  decorations,  but 
of  which  they  have  been  despoiled  at  different  times,  prin- 
cipally, however,  during  the  occupation  of  the  French. 

Desiring  to  get  information  about  religious  and  educa- 
tional matters,  we  called  upon  the  Vicar-General,  and  had 
a very  pleasant  interview  with  him.  We  found  him  in  one 
of  his  rooms,  close  by  the  Grand  Cathedral,  and  in  its  court- 
yard, in  fact.  He  is  a short,  stout,  full-made  man,  with 
full  black  beard  and  moustache,  sparkling  black  eyes,  and 
full  round  head  and  face.  As  he  sat  before  me  I could 
not  help  thinking  he  was  the  very  picture  of  a jolly  Domini- 
can friar,  ])articularly  as  the  close-fitting  skull-cap,  with  a 
funny  little  button  on  top,  gave  him  a very  comical  appear- 
ance. He  informed  me  he  had  only  lived  here  a year ; that 
there  was  a seminary,  primary  school,  and  college,  all  under 


SE  MIX  ARY  AND  COLLEGE. 


227 


the  care  of  the  Church.  The  schools  contained  altogether 
some  three  hundred  pupils.  In  the  college  there  is  a night- 
school  for  the  poorer  class,  who  are  ambitious  of  knowledge, 
and  of  whom  a certain  number  are  gratuitously  instructed 
at  the  expense  of  the  Town  Council ; while  others  are, 
admitted,  that  can  afford  it,  at  the  rate  of  one  dollar  per 
month. 

Our  conversation  with  the  Vicar- General  was  very  full  and 
entertaining,  and  his  views  of  annexation  very  frank.  I 
asked  him  how  he  liked  the  idea  of  it.  He  replied,  At 
present  there  is  only  one  Church  here,  and  that  is  the  Roman 
Catholic  ; but  if  annexation  comes,  there  will  be  others.” 

“Yes,”  I replied;  “but  then  you  must  remember  that 
you  will  have  ample  toleration  for  your  Church.” 

He  laughed  cynically  as  he  said,  “ But  I have  to  tolerate 
others  too.” 

I answered,  “ You  have  only  }^our  own  Church,  with  a 
very  small  number  of  members;  in  the  United  States  your 
Church  is  a very  powerful  one,  and  has  a great  many 
members  ; don’t  you,  therefore,  suppose  that  your  numbers 
will  be  increased,  and  your  church  revenues  improved  by 
annexation  ? ” 

“ Frankly,  senor,”  said  he,  “ it  really  don’t  make  much 
difference  with  me  either  one  way  or  the  other.  I like 
Rome  better  than  I do  here ; it  is  sometimes  so  hot  for 
me  in  summer;  but  I tell  my  people,  when  they  ask  me 
about  it,  they  must  remember  that  they  cannot  do  with  the 
United  States  as  they  did  with  Spain;  once  annexed  they 
cannot  get  out.” 

In  the  building  occupied  as  the  seminary  there  are 
various  classes  under  instruction  by  brothers  of  the  Church, 
and  some  few  refugee  Cubans  acting  as  instructors.  A 
school  of  medicine  is  established,  and  the  principles  of 
physiology  and  medicine  taught;  lectures  being  given,  while 
we  were  ])resent,  upon  osteology,  illustrated  by  the  humau 
skeleton. 


228 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


We  were  exceedingly  charmed  with  our  visit  through  the 
seminary,  which’ we  made  after  seeing  the  Yicar-General ; 
for  though  most  of  the  classes  were  limited  in  numbers  of 
pupils,  we  were  treated  with  a courtesy  that  seems  to  be 
jm  instinct  with  these  people  and  their  children.  In  every 
case,  on  entering  the  room,  the  pupils,  as  well  as  their 
instructors,  immediately  arose,  the  latter  coming  forward, 
and  in  the  kindest  manner  volunteering  all  the  information 
we  wanted. 

Wliat  a change,  however,  from  those  early  days  in  the 
history  of  the  city,  when  its  celebrated  university  gave 
pre-eminence  to  its  citizens  over  those  of  all  the  towns  of 
the  New  World,  by  the  liberal  education  extended  them, 
the  renown  of  which  became  so  great,  that  the  city  itself 
received  the  name  of  the  “ Athens  of  the  New  World  ! ” 

Another  old  landmark  of  the  dead  past  of  this  historic 
town  is  the  building  known  as  the  Castle  of  Columbus,” 
being  the  house  built  upon  the  margin  of  the  west  bank  o1 
the  river  by  Diego  Columbus,  the  son  of  the  Admiral,  while 
the  old  town  of  St  Domingo  was  still  upon  the  eastern  side 
of  the  river.  It  was  built  very  solidly  of  stone,  and  sur- 
rounded by  an  enclosure  to  protect  him  from  the  attacks  ot 
Indians.  Afterwards,  when  the  town  was  removed  to  the 
other  bank,  the  house  was  completed,  the  ramparts  of  the 
town  running  down  to  it,  and  one  of  the  gates  immediately 
under  it  receiving  the  name  which  it  bears  to-day  from  the 
house  of  Colon.  It  has  now  gone  to  decay  and  ruin;  but 
yet  makes  a picturesque  and  interesting  point  for  the  visitor 
to  St  Domingo  city, — the  illustration  in  a previous  page 
showing  it  in  a better  state  of  preservation  than  it  is  to- 
day. 

As  we  desired  to  satisfy  our  curiosity  with  a view  of  the 
Dominican  cockpit,  we.  paid  a visit  there  in  the  early  after- 
noon. The  place  was  crowded,  the  pit  being  only  a small 
place  or  circle  of  about  fifty  feet  radius,  much  humbler 
than  those  of  its  Cuban  neighbour.  We  mounted  up  to 


THE  CARNIVAL. 


229 


the  top  seat,  by  means  of  a ladder,  for  a standing  place; 
but  on  Damion  Baez,  the  brother  of  the  President,  per- 
ceiving us,  he  very  kindly  offered  us  seats  below  in  the 
select  part ; but,  as  we  only  wished  to  stay  a few  moments, 
we  declined  his  offer. 

A cockfight  seems  to  be  the  same  all  the  world  over  as 
it  is  here,  in  Cuba,  or  ‘‘in  Jersey.”  Much  as  we  may 
disapprove  of  such  exhibitions,  particularly  where  repre- 
sentatives of  the  Government  are  present  as  patrons,  I 
must,  confess  I would  rather  “ take  my  chance  ” with  these 
])eople  in  their  cockfights  than  with  the  roughs  at  a dog- 
fight in  New  York  city,  or  a prize-fight  in  the  ring;  for  I 
hold  that  none  of  these  exhibitions  represent  truly  “the 
people  ” of  any  of  the  places  in  which  they  may  take  place ; 
and  I am  free  to  say  that  I have  heard  the  best  of  Cubans, 
as  well  as  Dominicans,  speak  of  the  cockpit  with  abhor- 
rence, and  hope  for  its  abolition.  The  customs  of  a people, 
however,  are  not  to  be  changed  in  a day,  whatever  time 
may  effect.  We  saw  but  one  fight,  and  then  left,  our 
interest  being  soon  over,  as  our  curiosity  was  gratified,  and 
the  noise  of  the  audience,  as  they  in  their  excitement 
screamed  out  their  bets,  was  deafening. 

This  being  the  first  day  of  the  carnival,  the  streets  all 
the  afternoon  were  filled  with  maskers  and  mummers,  who 
at  this  season  have  much  liberty  allowed  them  ; but  with  it 
all,  in  the  two  or  three  days  to  which  this  privilege  extends, 
we  heard  of  no  disorderly  conduct  whatever.  It  was  in 
strong  contrast,  as  we  turned  from  one  of  these  processions 
of  merrymakers,  to  meet  another  making  its  way  along 
the  plaza  ; but  it  was  a procession  of  a very  different  order 
— a funeral,  which,  with  its  four-wheeled  cano})y  trimmed 
with  white,  and  drawn  by  one  horse,  was  carrying  to  its  last 
resting-place  the  remains  of  an  aged  citizen,  whose  friends 
on  foot  formed  the  funeral  cortege.  In  either  case,  very, 
very  humble,  and  so  different  from  the  rich  displays  made 
in  the  great  city  of  Havana,  of  which  St  Domingo  may,  in 


230 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


fact,  be  said  to  be  a very  'small  and  cheap  edition — inferior 
in  every  respect  except  in  its  natural  advantages. 

Long  years  of  adversity  and  revolution  have  impoverished 
the  country,  killing  all  enterprise,  deadening  every  energy 
of  its  people,  and  destroying  every  sense  of  security,  so 
that  if  the  capitalist  should  feel  tempted  by  the  numerous 
rich  openings  offered  by  the  natural  advantages  of  the 
country,  he  is  deterred  by  the  lack  of  confidence  in  the 
Government’s  power  to  resist  the  cabals  and  attempts  of  a 
lot  of  political  vagabonds,  who,  seeing  only  in  turmoil  and 
trouble  a chance  for  themselves  to  rob  and  appropriate,  are 
ready  on  the  slightest  pretext  to  take  up  arms.  Thus  there 
being  no  commerce  of  any  moment,  and  little  production, 
the  revenues  of  the  Government  are  limited,  and  are  not 
sufficient  to  meet  the  expenses.  No  improvements  tj\J^e 
place  ; communication  by  land  from  one  town  to  another  is 
at  times  utterly  impossible,  and  only  at  intervals  by  mule 
and  horse-back.  The  result  is,  that  every  class  is  poor,  and 
feeling  this,  a sense  of  shyness  is  manifested  to  strangers 
by  the  better  class  not  natural  to  their  desires  or  traditions. 

Although  there  is  much  talk  about  the  unhealthiness,  I 
cannot  find  that  St  Domingo  city  is  ever  anything  but 
- healthy ; for,  from  the  old  historians  down,  every  writer 
speaks  of  its  healthfulness.  I do  know  that  since  we  have 
been  here  there  have  been  but  two  funerals — one  of  them 
being  the  above ; in  fact,  they  have  a joke  here,  saying 

People  die  only  of  old  age.” 

Certain  it  is  that  during  our  stay  here  the  climate  has 
been.delightfulj  the  nights  being  fresh  and  cool;  and  I am 
told  there  is.no  change  in  the  summers,  except  that  the 
days  are  a little  hotter.  , Before  day  throughout  the  year  a 
blanket  is  required  in  sleeping. 

Our  thermometer  since  we,  have  been  here  at  the  palace 
has  hardly  varied  a degree  each  morning,  showing  an  even 
temperature  each  day  at  five  o’clock  a.m.  of  64”,  while  at 
mid-day  it  has  not  gone  over  85”. 


RESIDENCE  FOR  INVALIDS.  231 


I was  constantly  reminded  of  the  pure  air  of  Trinidad  de 
Cuba,  said  to  be  the  healthiest  place  in  that  island;  and 
though  St  Domingo  city  is  not  situated  upon  a high 
mountain,  as  is  Trinidad,  it  yet  seems  quite  as  cool  and  salu- 
brious, owing  to  the  fresh  breezes  from  the  hills  prevail- 
ing at  night,  while  those  from  the  sea  prevail  during  the 
dav. 

For  a winter’s  residence  for  invalids,  this  city  could  be 
made  a very  attractive  place,  and  would  offer  a fine  field 
to  enterprising  hotel-keepers  to  establish  houses,  either  in 
or  out  of  the  city,  for  the  accommodation  of  those  desirous 
of  escaping  northern  winters.  At  present  there  is  no  hotel 
worthy  of  that  name  ; but  the  stray  traveller  will  be  well 
taken  care  of  by  inquiring  for  Monsieur  Auguste.” 

Riding  up  over  the  hills  outside  of  the  town,  we  get  fine 
views  of  the  harbour,  which  is  comparatively  small,  being 
formed  by  the  confiuence  of  the  Isabella  and  Ozama  rivers, 
which  by  their  junction  form  a Y.  Each  of  these  rivers 
receives  in  its  course  the  tribute  of  many  others  of  less 
consequence,  and  of  a very  great  number  of  streams  and 
ravines,  brooks  and  springs.  Both  of  them  take  their  rise 
in  the  mountains  lying  to  the  north-west  of  the  city,  and 
meet  about  three  miles  above  it.  The  anchorage  in  the 
port  itself  is  deep  enough  for  vessels  of  any  size,  and  it  is 
a perfect  landlocked  harbour,  the  banks  in  some  places 
being  as  high  as  twenty  feet.  The  river  for  nearly  three 
miles  is  about  twenty-four  feet  deep,  with  a bottom  of  soft 
mud  or  sand.  The  present  obstacle  to  it  as  a port  arises 
from  the  fact  that  at  the  entrance  there  is  a rock  which 
prevents  vessels  drawing  more  than  eighteen  feet  of  water 
from  entering;  but  this  could  easily  be  removed  by  blasting. 
In  the  time  of  the  floods,  some  idea  may  be  formed  of  the 
volume  of  water  coming  down  the  Ozama  from  the  fact 
that  the  sea,  at  some  distance  from  the  river’s  mouth,  is 
entirely  discoloured  by  its  muddy  waters. 

As  we  sit  upon  the  hill  looking  down  upon  the  city,  it 


232 


SAKTO  DOMINGO, 


has  a strange  appearance,  with  its  red-coloured  roofs  and 
age-stained  walls,  those  of  the  old  Franciscan  monastery, 
covered  with  vines  and  moss,  being  prominent  in  the  fore- 
ground, just  behind  tlie  bastioned  angles  of  the  northern 
walls. 

Taking  a bridle-path,  we  rode  almost  around  the  city, 
parallel  with  the  walls,  which  are,  in  fact,  as  old  as  they 
look,  having  been  erected  as  far  back  as  1506  by  Nicholas 
Ovando,  of  whom  such  great  deeds  are  told  in  the  ancient 
Spanish  chronicles.  These  walls  are  about  eight  feet 
thick  and  ten  feet  high,  the  revetment  being  of  hewn 
stone,  and  the  scarp  cut  in  the  solid  rock.  There  is  no 


Old  Franciscan  Monastery. 

glacis,  while  the  bastions  are  very  small,  except  those  at 
the  four  angles,  which  are  larger;  the  one  at  the  south-west 
angle,  known  as  La  Forsza,  built  by  Ovando,  being  in  good 
preservation,  though  now  beside  it  is  the  city  shambles. 
Above  the  city,  on  the  hill,  stands  the  old  town  of  San 
Carlos,  as  old  as  St  Domingo  itself,  being  perhaps  better 
known  to  the  readers  of  Irving  as  Ileignes.  The  ground, 
however,  is  the  only  antique  portion  of  the  place ; for  the 


W^LL  OF  COLUMBUS. 


233 


houses  are  all  modern,  built  of  wood,  of  generally  the  most 
humble  description,  and  the  only  striking  object  is  the 
ubiquitous  church  that  crowns  the  eminence. 

There  used  to  be  an  immense  amount  of  ordnance  at  St 
Domingo  city,  but  most  of  it  was  carried  away  by  the 
English  in  payment  of  assistance  rendered  by  them  to  the 
Spaniards  against  the  French. 

As  a fortified  city  it  would  seem  to  be  a failure,  for  the 
hill  San  Carlos  commands  it ; and  unless  this  place  was 
fortified  with  advanced  works  in  connection,  no  amount  of 
money  expended  on  its  walls  would  prevent  the  city  from 
being  rendered  untenable.  This  was  practically  illustrated 
by  General  Carmichael,  when  he  took  the  city  with  his 
troops  upon  this  hill  without  firing  a shot. 

Continuing  our  ride,  we  reached  the  Well  of  Columbus, 
on  the  left  bank  of  the  Ozama,  deriving  its  name  from  the 
reputed  fact  that  Bartholomew  Columbus  himself  is  said 
to  have  built  this  well.  At  all  events,  it  is  a very  old 
structure  of  stone,  with#-  a quay  or  wharf  parapeted  of  the 
same  material  upon  the  river,  while  standing  against  the 
hill-side  is  a double-arched  structure,  in  the  centre  of 
which  is  the  well  or  cistern,  quite  deep,  and  having  in  it. 
delicious  pure  water,  of  which  many  of  the  vessels  avail 
themselves. 

Upon  the  quays,  between  the  well  and  the  city  walls,  we 
found  large  quantities  of  the  woods  of  the  country,  such  as 
lignum,  fustic,  ebony,  iron-wood,  and  mahogany,  together 
with  dye  woods,  being  weighed  in  large  scales  prepara- 
tory to  shipment;  and  it  makes  quite  a busy  and  strange 
scene,  with  the  background  of  wooden  booths  of  the 
roughest  description,  where  the  workmen  regale  themselves 
with  “ san  cocho  ” (a  stew),  bad  rum,  cakes,  &c.,  the  end 
of  the  quay  being  devoted  to  the  sale  (wholesale)  of  fruits 
and  vegetables. 

The  workmen  or  labourers  seem  to  work  steadily  and 
earnestly  enough,  even  in  the  hot  sun,  to  set  at  rest  the 


234 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


doubt  whether  these  people  will  work  even  if  they  are  paid  ; 
for  here,  where  their  wages  are  regularly  paid  by  foreign 
houses,  there  is  no  trouble  in  getting  labour. 

To  these  landings  come  the  country  people  from  far  up 
the  river  Ozama,  in  their  strange  boats,  a canoe  dug  out 
of  huge  trees,  which,  propelled  by  its  one  man  occupant, 
probably  comes  forty  or  fifty  miles  to  bring  a couple  of 
hundred  plantains,  not  worth  perhaps  more  than  thirty  or 
forty  cents  a hundred  ; or  perhaps  the  canotero  ” brings 
down  a more  valuable  freight,  in  the  shape  of  two  or 
three  hits  of  mahogany,  the  average  size  of  which  is  about 
three  feet  long  by  two  square,  the  value  of  each  piece  not 
ex  *eeding  $8  to  $10  here. 


CHAPTER  XIIL 


“The  plantain  and  banana’s  luscious  fruit 
In  circled  clusters  load  the  curling  shoot ; 

With  golden  bloom  the  nectared  orange  glows ; 

With  spicy  custard  soft  anana  flows  ; 

The  juicy  melon  fills  its  netted  mould  ; 

Aud  the  crowned  pine  perfumes  with  fiagraut  gold.” 


Vicinity  of  St  Domingo  City — Natural  Caves — The  Caves  of 
Santanna — The  Boundary  Line — Beaia  and  Alia  Vela 
Islands — Neybo — Salt  Mifies — Sugar  Plantations — Azua — 
Ocoa  Bay. 

TT  was  with  a good  deal  of  amusement  to  ourselves,  and 
gratification  to  a group  of  natives  looking  on,  that  a 
party  of  us  gathered  together  one  fine  morning,  prepared 
for  a ride  through  the  country  lying  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
city.  Our  horses  had  been  gathered  from  various  sources, 
though  none  of  them,  with  their  original  equipments 
and  their  freely-costumed  riders,  would  have  passed  a 
“ dress  parade.”  Two  or  three  of  us  particularly  presented 
a ludicrous  appearance, — a robust  western  major  insisting 
upon  taking  the  smallest  horse,  while  the  doctor  was  more 
particular  about  the  size  of  his  saddle  than  the  quality  of 
Ids  mount,  the  others  being  selected  pretty  much  at  hap- 
hazard. 

Much  to  our  gratification,  however,  our  equines  proved 
better  in  quality  than  in  appearance,  for  size  is  no 
criterion  of  goodness  in  a St  Domingo  horse,  many  of 
those  of  the  medium  size  being  wonderfully  endowed  with 


236 


SANTO  DOMINGO, 


, powers  of  endurance  and  rapidity  of  movement,  the  gait 
being  similar  to  that  of  the  Cuban  horses,  a sort  of  rack 
or  amble. 

The  land  to  the  west  and  north  of  the  city  is  rather 
rough  and  rocky,  but  after  that  it  changes  in  character, 
and  becomes  very  pretty,  though  for  some  distance  out  the 
country  is  somewhat  level,  and  the  soil  of  a rather  reddish 
clay. 

In  old  times  the  vicinity  of  the  city  was  noted  for  the 
beauty  of  its  gardens  and  the  charms  of  the  places  of 
‘^recreo,”  or  country-houses,  which  most  of  the  wealthy 
citizens  possessed;  but  to-day  these  have  all  disappeared, 
and  one  only  meets  with  the  ordinary  finca  ” or  truck 
garden  or  farm,  though  along  the  sea-coast  some  pretty 
places  have  been  established. 

’ Strange  to  say,  however,  in  all  St  Domingo,  where 

nature  is  so  prolific  in 
every  fern  and  fruit  and 
flower,  man  seems  to 
care  very  little  about  its 
cultivated  beauties,  and 
it  is  the  rarest  thing 
to  find  even  an  humble 
attempt  at  a flower- 
garden,  be  it  in  town 
or  country.  The  ex- 
planation for  this  in- 
variably given  me  by 
the  people,  on  my  ask- 
ing why  they  did  not 
have  them,  was,  AVhat 
is  the  use?  just  as  soon 
as  we  had  one  made  it 
would  be  destroyed  in 
another  revolution.” 

Most  of  the  Antilles  are  noted  for  their  caves  or  sub- 


St  Domingo  Ferns. 


CAVES  OF  SANTANNA. 


237 


terranean  formations  found  in  them;  and  St  Domingo 
shares  largely  in  this  peculiarity,  for  they  are  to  be  met 
with  in  every  part  of  the  island. 

On  the  east  bank  of  the  Ozama,  some  two  miles  distant 
from  the  village,  there  is  a curious  cave  known  as  a 

Cueva  de  Agua  ” or  water-cave,  where  there  is  to  be  seen 
a natural  lake  formed  in  a rocky  cavern,  in  which  are  many 
stalagmites  of  curious  form. 

The  most  noted  of  these  caves,  however,  are  those  of 
Santanna,  reputed  to  be  one  of  the  places  of  resort  for  the 
aborigines  of  the  island,  who  came  here  to  worship  their 
zemes  or  gods. 

To  this  cave  our  party  directed  its  way,  after  having 
made  the  circuit  of  the  town ; and  passing  out  by  the 
western  gate,  and  in  front  of  the  large  cemetery,  which 
lies  bare  and  desolate  just  outside  the  city  walls,  we 
soon  reached  the  thick  scrub-covered  rolling  plain  beyond 
the  city,  till,  striking  a bridle-path  directly  through  the 
woods,  we  were  protected  from  the  sun  by  the  dense 
foliage,  which,  meeting  just  above  our  heads,  formed  in 
many  places  a natural  arch,  under  whose  protecting  shades  . 
we  seemed  as  though  shut  out  from  the  world,  while  turns 
in  the  path  gave  us  lovely  vistas  of  palms,  and  cocoas, 
and  graceful  flowing  vines,  and  blossoming  bush,  that 
were  charming;  while  the  aroma  and  fragrance  of  the 
vegetation,  on  which  still  clung  the  morning  dew,  was 
especially  delicious.  Here,  too,  we  met  with  the  hedge  of 
maya,  upon  which  was  now  ripe  the  small  yellow  fruit, 
which,  eaten  sparingly,  acts  as  a gentle  purgative.  At 
one  of  the  houses,  after  we  had  ridden  some  distance,  we 
picked  up  our  guide,  a negro  boy,  who,  with  only  a pair  of 
pants  on,  wan  drawing  water,  his  back  exposed  in  all  its 
nakedness  to  the  hot  sun,  which  he  did  not  seem  to  mind. 
Coming  to  a high  fence,  which  we  crnild  neither  go  over 
nor  let  down,  we  actually  took  the  difliculty  by  the  horns; 
that  is,  we  rode  our  sj)irited  little  horses,  after  a small 


1238 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


fight,  slap  through  the  hedge  of  the  prickly  maya,  without 
their  being  the  least  the  worse  for  it. 

And  then  we  descended  a narrow  road  through  green 
fields  to  a shaded  path  that  descends  suddenly  to  the 


Entrance  to  Cave. 


entrance  of  the  cave,  which  is  composed  of  a double  arch- 
way, the  division  being  formed  by  grotesquely- shaped 
pillars  of  corallaceous  rock,  one  of  the  arches  permitting 
ingress  of  mounted  visitors.  Around  these  grew  the  thick 
tropical  vegetation,  the  parasitical  plants  pendant  from 
the  branches  of  the  trees  giving  an  exceedingly  graceful 
appearance  to  the  entrance. 

Being  mounted  on  the  largest  horse  of  the  party,  I 
found  it  necessary  now -and  then  to  stoop  in  my  saddle  in 


i 

1 


ROCKY  AMPHITHEATRES. 


239 


order  to  prevent  knocking  my  head,  against  the  roof,  and  I 
calculated  from  this  that  the  cave  was  in  its  lowest  point, 
from  roof  to  floor,  some  seven  or  eight  feet  high. 

This  entrance  forms  a sort  of  double  saloon,  passing 
through  which  we  came  into  a rocky  amphitheatre  of  per- 
haps three  hundred  feet  or  more  in  diameter. 

The  sight  was  indeed  a strange  one,  the  amphitheatre 
having  all  the  appearance  of  having  been  at  one  time  a 
lake,  the  walls  of  which  were  formed  of  the  same  peculiar 
rock,  massed  together  in  grotesque  strata  and  strange 
forms,  at  the  base  of  which,  round  the  entire  circle,  were 
the  apertures  known  as  the  caves ; above,  the  clear  blue 
sky,  unusually  brilliant  in  colour,  while  upon  the  upper 
edge  of  the  amphitheatre  was  the  luxuriant  vegetation  of 
this  island,  giving  grace  and  beauty  in  every  conceivable 
form  and  colour  to  the  scene ; the  graceful  tendrils  of  the 
vines  entwining  themselves  around  the  trunks  of  the 
towering  trees,  whose  thick  and  umbrageous  foliage  served 
to  throw  a tempered  light  into  the  cavity,  the  open  floor  of 
which  was  covered  with  masses  of  rock  of  varied  form, 
thrown  together  in  wild  confusion.  The  mosses,  and 
ferns,  and  herbage,  that  crept  and  grew  over  and  in 
every  crevice,  added  to  the  wild,  strange,  and  beautiful 
scene. 

What  gave  a still  more  interesting,  and,  if  I may  so 
express  it,  weird  appearance  to  the  amphitheatre,  were 
the  long,  innumerable  roots  of  the  trees  upon  the  verge 
of  the  rocks,  which  looked  exactly  as  though  they  had 
originally  taken  root  in  the  earth,  which,  having  after- 
wards been  washed  away,  left  these  same  roots  gathered 
tO£:ether  in  bundles  of  from  ten  to  thirtv  in  number 
each,  which,  growing  downwards,  had  finally  taken  root 
in  the  substrata,  looking,  as  they  hung  relieved  against 
the  gloomy  background  of  the  caves,  like  so  many  woody 
pillars. 

We  entered  several  of  these  caves,  and  discerned  naught 
19 


240 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


but  gloom  and  owls,  wbich  our  feeble  candles  served  barelj' 
to  disturb.  While  these  caves  are  extremely  interesting 
as  showing  the  freaks  of  nature,  they  have  neither  the 
brilliancy  of  the  crystal  caves  of  Bellamar  in  Cuba,  nor  yet 
the  grandeur  and  extent  of  our  Mammoth  Cave  in  Ken- 
tuck}^  Yet  withal  there  is  such  a weird  look  about  the 
shapes  of  the  pillars  and  the  forms  of  the  walls  in  their 
different  degrees  of  obscurity,  that  it  makes  one  expect  to 
see  appear  some  strangely-formed  demon  or  wild-looking 
hermit,  inquiring  by  what  right  his  solitude  is  disturbed 
by  beings  from  a far-away  western  world. 

The  fact  that  some  idols  have  been  found  in  these  caves 
is  cited  as  authority  for  their  having  been  used  by  the 
natives  either  as  a place  of  worship  or  burial ; for  when  a 
cacique  died,  his  people  opened  and  dried  him  by  the  fire, 
that  he  might  be  preserved  entire.  The  body  was  then 
laid  in  some  cave,  together  with  his  arms,  and  frequently 
his  favourite  wife  attended  him.  This  cave,  it  is  said, 
was  thus  used. 

After  leaving  the  caves,  we  made  a considerable  detour, 


noble  tamarind,  of  immense  size,  whose  foliage,  growing 
somewhat  like  that  of  the  horse-chestnut,  was  so  dense 
that  we  were  perfectly  protected  from  the  downpour  of 


in  order  to  get  an  idea  of 
the  agricultural  interests  of 
this  part  of  the  island;  but 
we  found  comparatively 
little  reward,  for  the  amount 
of  products  are  limited  to 
the  plantain,  some  garden 
vegetables,  with  a small 
amount  of  tobacco. 


Tamarind. 


A tropical  shower  com- 
ing on,  we  sought  shelter 
under  one  of  the  most  superb 
trees  I have  ever  seen — a 


AGRICULTURAL  LANDS. 


241 


rain.  These  trees  always  remind  me  of  our  locust-trees, 
though  so  much  larger,  and  the  grouping  of  the  leaves 
with  its  fruit  in  the  branches  forms  a most  graceful  natural 
feature. 

It  always  seems  to  me  that  nature  in  St  Domingo 
stands  a constant  reproach  to  the  inhabitants  for  their 
supineness  and  indiflerence  to  improving  their  condition. 
For  one  is  constantly  led  to  think  what  might  be  accom- 
plished by  man’s  energy  in  a country  where  nature  does 
so  much. 

From  St  Domingo  city  westward  to  the  Haytian  border 
there  Is  not  a single  town  of  any  importance,  though  there 
are  several  villages  of  considerable  size  scattered  at  in- 
tervals throughout  a section  of  country  comprising  some 
of  the  finest  agricultural  lands  in  the  world,  capable  of 
supporting  a large  and  industrious  population,  and  where 
the  climate  is  as  salubrious  as  in  that  of  any  other  part 
of  the  globe. 

The  roads,  like  those  in  the  rest  of  the  island,  are  hardly 
worthy  of  the  name  ; but  there  is  a fair  bit  of  road  from  St 
Domingo  city  to  the  river  Jaina  in  the  west,  available  in 
good  weather  for  carts,  though  pack  animals  are  generally 
used — the  traveller  invariably  going  on  horseback. 

Moreau  St  Mery,  who  seems  to  have  personally  and  most 
thoroughly  examined  all  this  district  of  country  from  St 
Domingo  city  to  the  Haytian  line  (at  the  time  of  his  visit, 
1784,  in  possession  of  the  Spaniards),  speaks  in  the  highest 
praise  of  the  character  of  the  soil,  the  salubrity  of  the  cli- 
mate, the  abundance  of  wood  and  water,  and  the  advantages 
of  numerous  harbours  on  the  coast. 

Having  determined  to  penetrate  to  the  interior  of  the 
island  and  the  north-west,  and  being  informed  the  southern 
side  was  similar,  in  most  resj)ects,  to  those  parts  of  the 
north  which  I proposed  to  visit,  I was  forced  to  decline  the 
services  of  one  of  the  natives  of  this  section  of  the  countrv, 
who  offered  himself  as  guide,  with  a strongly  written 


242 


SAJ^TO  DOMINGO. 


recommendation.  Here  it  is,  as  also  the  portrait  of  the 
individual,  as  characteristic  of  his  class,  in  case  any  future 
traveller  should  need  his  help  : — Manuel  Seybano  knows 

all  the  country  about  the  upper 
Nigua  and  Nizao ; one  of  the 
best  mountaineers  I ever  saw — 
when  he  is  sober — and  good  as 
a circus  when  he  is  drunk — a 
type  of  man  rarely  found  out 
of  the  backwoods  ; a noted  pig- 
hunter,  and  if  the  pigs  are  not 
wild,  ^poco  importe,’  if  he  does 
not  get  caught  himself  -;  spends 
about  half  his  time  in  the  woods, 
and  the  other  half  in  the  cala- 
boose for  making  mistakes  be- 
tween wild  and  tame  pigs 
those  with  or  without  ear- 
marks).” 

As  St  Mery’s  notes  have  been 
verified  by  later  authorities  and 
the  personal  investigations  of 
members  of  the  United  States 
Commission,  it  may  not  be  amiss 
to  give  here  a general  account 
of  the  principal  points  of  this 
section. 

Beyond  the  province  of  St 
Domingo  on  the  west,  beginning  at  the  Ocoa  river,  and 
extending  to  the  boundary  line,  lies  the  famous  district  of 
Azua,  comprising  within  its  limits  the  communes  of  Azua, 
Neyba,  Barahona,  San  Juan,  Las  Matas,  Banica,  &c., 
most  of  which  lie  in  the  section  marked  in  the  map  as  the 
debatable  ground,  and  comprising  some  of  the  finest  parts 
of  the  island,  but  now  in  a disorganised  state  from  the  con- 
stant irruptions  of  the  Haytian  borderets  united  with  some 


Manuel  Seybano. 


BAHORUGO  MOUNTAINS. 


243 


refugee  Dominicans,  who,  banded  together  under  General 
Cabral,  a former  Dominican  leader,  keep  the  country  to 
the  west  of  Azua  in  a state  of  suspense  similar  to  that  of 
our  Indian  frontier. 

The  western  border  of  the  Dominican  territory  begins,  as 
will  be  seen  on  looking  at  the  map,  on  the  south  bank  of 
the  river  Perdenales  (Flint  river),  flowing  at  the  west  side 
of  the  high  mountain  range  known  by  its  Indian  appellation 
of  Bahoruco. 

These  mountains,  rising  majestically  from  the  Dominican 
lines,  face  with  a gentle  slope  the  sea  nearly  to  the  south- 
west, opposite  to  the  shore  of  which  is  the  small  island 
of  Beata. 

Valverde  says  that  these  mountains  are  extremely 
fertile,  and  possess  a lovely  climate  ; and  quotes  as  an  illus- 
tration that  a Spanish  officer,  being  up  there  in  pursuit 
of  fugitives,  had  tents  erected  for  his  party,  which  he 
covered  with  cabbage-leaves,  so  large  was  their  growth. 

This  situation,  where  everything  seems  to  bespeak  mines 
of  gold,  and  where  gold-sand  is  found  in  the  water,  was  a 
great  resort  for  the  Spanish  and  French  negroes,  where 
they  formed  themselves  into  an  unconquerable  body,  and 
committed  depredations  on  the  surrounding  country. 

All  along  this  shore  going  east  are  many  coves,  where 
vessels  of  moderate  size  may  enter,  and  particularly  Eagle’s 
Cove,  where  it  is  said  ships  may  approach  near  enough  to  be 
fastened  ashore.  Here  is  met  the  most  southern  point  of 
the  island.  Cape  Beata,  and  opposite  it  lies  the  little  island 
of  the  same  name,  famous  in  times  past  as  the  great  resort 
of  French  privateers,  they  being  eventually  driven  from 
thence  by  Admiral  Cowley.  Columbus  saw  this  island 
in  1498,  and  took  shelter  in  its  passage  from  a storm  in 
1504. 

Some  six  miles  to  the  south-west  of  Beata  is  the  now 
famous  island  of  Alta  Vela  (Big-sail),  so  called  by  Columbus 
in  1494,  on  accounrt  of  its  height  and  form,  which  at  a 


244 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


distance  resembles  a vessel  under  full  sail.  The  land  on 
the  island  rises  to  the  centre,  and  is  covered  with  wood ; 
but  it  has  more  lately  been  occupied  as  a guano-island, 
with  the  expectation  of  procuring  large  quantities  of  that 
fertiliser.  An  engineer,  however,  on  board  the  steamer, 
whose  services  had  been  engaged  there,  informed  me  that 
as  yet  the  quantity  of  guano  was«  very  small,  it  having- 
only  been  found  in  pockets  in  the  rock,  and  that  his 
services  were  engaged  to  run  the  engines  in  the  new  occu- 
pation of  salt-making. 

Continuing  north  from  Cape  Beata,  the  first  bay  of  im- 
portance is  Neyba,  into  which  empties  the  river  of  the  same 
name,  that  has  its  source  in  the  above-named  mountain, 
and  which  waters  a fine  extent  of  country.  That  looking 
west  was  all  formerly  occupied  by  the  Maroons  or  runaway 
negroes,  being  originally  the  famous  province  of  Xaragua. 

In  the  early  days  of  the  conquest  these  slopes  were  de- 
voted to  the  cultivation  of  sugar ; and  St  Mery,  a practical 
planter,  computes  that  in  the  two  plains  adjacent  to  this 
coast  there  could  be  established  over  250  sugar  plantations 
papable  of  employing  in  his  time  over  50,000  negroes ; while 
in  the  plain  of  Xej^ba,  watered  by  that  river,  150  more 
plantations  could  be  profitably  established. 

The  river  Neyba  having  several  mouths,  that  run  through 
low  grounds  or  marshes,  the  Bay  of  Neyba  is  not  so  good  a 
port  for  this  section  as  the  Barahona,  a little  to  the  south ; 
but  this  is  capable  of  being  made  into  a good  harbour,  and 
it  is  said  Toussaint  had  commenced  to  establish  there  an 
important  town  when  the  arrival  of  the  French  put  an  end 
to  his  plans. 

All  the  country  lying  to  the  east  of  the  curious  lake 
called  Enriquello  is  known  generally  by  the  name  of  the 
Plain  of  Neyba,  which  is  pretty  generally  fertile.  Near  the 
little  town  of  the  same  name  is  situated  the  famous  mine 
or  rock  of  crystal  salt,  which  is  generally  used  by  the 
people  in  that  vicinity  for  curing  their  provisions.  The 


COMMUNE  OF  AZUA. 


245 


salt  is  said  to  have  the  peculiarity  of  becoming  much 
heavier  on  being  exposed  to  the  air ; and  it  is  said  that  the 
natural  reproduction  of  this  mineral  is  so  rapid  that  quite 
a large  hollow  will  be  filled  up  again  in  the  course  of  the 
year. 

To  the  north,  on  the  Neyba,  lies  the  fairy  valley  of 
St  John,  or  San  Juan,  noted  for  its  great  fertility  in  all 
time  and  the  salubrity  of  its  climate,  while  more  lately  it 
has  been  the  seat  of  Cabral’s  raids. 

In  old  times  the  whole  of  this  district  comprised  the 
province  of  Maguana,  under  the  control  of  the  chief 
Caonabo.  The  town  of  San  Juan  is  an  old  place,  and  has 
suffered  many  reverses,  having  shifted  its  location  at 
various  times. 

To  the  north  is  the  town  of  Banica,  which,  originally 
founded  by  Ovando  in  1503,  is  now  held  by  the  Haytians. 
The  whole  of  this  beautiful  valley  of  St  Thomas,  as  it  is 
called,  possesses  a superb  climate,  being  an  elevated  district, 
and  well  adapted  to  raise  cattle,  sheep,  wheat,  and  all  the 
products  of  the  temperate  zone. 

And  now  we  come  to  the  famous  commune  of  Azua, 
which  always  seems  to  have  been  a favourite  part  of  the 
island,  and  has  been  noted  for  the  luxuriance  of  its  sugar- 
cane, its  fruits,  and  the  salubrity  of  its  climate. 

Almost  identical  in  its  peculiarities  of  soil  and  vegetation 
with  the  district  of  Monte  Cristo  in  the  north-west,  Azua 
seems  always  to  have  been  a more  settled  part,  probably 
from  its  lying  in  a milder  region,  and  being  upon  the  great 
southern  route,  in  old  times,  from  the  Spanish  to  the  French 
capital  of  the  island. 

The  old  town  of  Azua  was  founded  in  1504  by  Diego 
Columbus.  He  gave  it  the  surname  of  Compostella,  in 
honour  of  Gallego,  commander  of  the  order  of  Santiago, 
who  had  a habitation  in  the  neighbourhood,  its  present  ap- 
pellation being  the  old  Indian  name. 

This  is  the  district  which  first  produced  in  the  most 


246 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


prolific  manner  sugar  for  the  Spaniards — the  cane  being 
noted  as  producing  for  six  consecutive  years  full  crops 
without  care  or  renewal.  In  fact,  to-day  cane  is  shown  in 
bearing  said  to  he  seventy  years  old. 

But  sugar  alone  is  not  the  only  excellent  product,  for 
every  fruit  and  vegetable  is  remarkably  perfect  in  this 
region,  the  orange  especially  being  noted  for  its  flavour. 

The  present  town  is  situated  on  the  road  from  San  Juan 
and  Neyba  to  St  Domingo,  and  is  some  two  leagues  dis- 
tant from  the  Bay  of  Ocoa,  one  of  the  most  famous  ports 
on  the  south  coast,  and  in  which  Columbus  took  shelter 
from  the  great  storm. 

The  old  town,  where  Her  nan  Cortes  was  town-clerk 
before  he  started  out  on  his  adventurous  career,  was  de- 
stroyed by  an  earthquake  in  1751.  This  terrible  event  led 
the  sea  up  to  the  very  town,  when  it  was  abandoned. 

Like  all  other  Dominican  towns,  it  is  now  a straggling 
. collection  of  one-storied  houses,  built  of  palm-leaves,  straw, 
and  poles,  gathered  round  a wide  open  space  honoured 
with  the  name  of  ‘‘plaza  and  aside  from  the  fact  that  it 
has  been  the  home  of  the  Baez  family,  who  own  large  pro- 
perties in  the  vicinity,  there  is  nothing  to  attract  the 
traveller  at  present. 

With  railroads,  and  capital,  and  immigration,  this  would 
probably  prove  a district  agriculturally  of  the  first  import- 
ance. In  this  case  the  Bay  of  Ocoa,  with  its  port  of  Calderas, 
being  splendidly  adapted  for  a great  marine  rendezvous, 
would  prove  a formidable  rival  to  St  Domingo  city. 

All  this  district  to  the  west  of  Azua  has  sufiered  much 
from  the  various  revolutions  and  incursions  which  seem  to 
have  selected  this  province  for  their  inception ; but  now, 
happily  for  the  rest  of  the  island,  these  little  “unpleasant- 
nesses” are  pretty  much  confined  to  one  locality.  To 
thoroughly  understand  the  cause  of  these,  we  shall  have  to 
study  a little  of  the  history  of  St  Domingo  since  it  became 
a republic. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 


“ Spain,  watching  from  her  Morro’s  keep 
Her  slave-ships  traversing  the  deep, 


With  bitter  hate  and  sullen  fear 
Its  freedom-giving  voice  shall  hear.” 


The  History  of  the  Dominican  Republic,  including  the 

Spanish  Possession. 


ETURNING  to  the  period  when  the  Dominicans  separ- 


ated themselves  from  Hayti,  whose  people  had  revolted 
against  its  chief,  President  Boyer,  we  look  in  vain  in  the 
. annals  of  the  time,  from  1843  to  the  present,  for  any  period 
of  six  consecutive  years  of  peace  and  tranquillity  for  the 
inhabitants  of  the  Spanish  part  of  St  Domingo. 

Nothing  but  conspiracies,  revolutions,  and  civil  wars 
mark  a period  of  some  sixteen  years,  in  which  Hayti,  by 
constant  incursions,  added  to  the  troubles  of  her  neighbour. 
In  absolute  despair,  it  would  seem,  of  securing  tranquillity 
in  any  other  way,  one  of  the  Dominican  chiefs  ceded  in  the 
most  arbitrary  way  to  the  Government  of  Spain  the  island 
over  which  she  had  formerly  had  extreme  control,  by  right 
of  discovery  and  conquest. 

Immediately  ui)on  the  giving  to  the  breeze  the  flag  of 
freedom  by  Duarte,  the  whole  people  of  the  Spanish  part 
were  in  arms;  and  it  was  declared  free  of  Haytian  rule  in  a 
formal  manner  February  27,  1844,  a day  that  has  ever 
since  been  kept  sacred  as  the  birthday  of  the  Republic  of 
Dominica. 

Carlos,  surnamed  Riviere  Herard,  who  had  succeeded 
Boyer  in  the  direction  of  affairs  in  Hayti,  receiving  news 


248 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


of  this  insurrection,  marched  by  the  southern  route  in 
March  1844,  to  attack  the  Dominicans,  as  they  now  called 
themselves,  with  a force  of  15,000  men ; hut  being  opposed^ 
by  General  Santana  near  the  town  of  Azua,  he  was  entirely 
defeated,  March  19.  and  forced  to  retreat,  reducing  to  ashes 
on  his  way  that  town,  a fate  to  which  it  has  since  become 
well  accustomed.  ’ “ 

About  the  same  time  a similar  expedition  was  sent  into 
the  interior  region  of  the  island,  the  Cibao ; but  meeting 
with  a like  fate,  it  was  compelled  to  retreat ; and,  following 
the  example  set  by  Dessalines,  the  country  through  which 
the  army  marched  was  laid  waste  with  fire  and  sword. 

On  the  declaration  of  independence,  a temporary  Govern- 
ment had  been  formed  under  a Provisional  Junta  Gober- 
nativa ; ” and  there  were  two  divisions  in  the  island — the 
north  with  Duarte  at  its  head,  and  the  south  with  Santana 
for  chief. 

On  the  10th  July,  however,  Santana — who,  covered  with 
the  laurels  gained  in  his  victory  over  the  Haytians,  had 
marched  into  the  capital — was  on  the  12th  proclaimed 
supreme  chief  of  the  new  republic ; and  in  the  following 
November,  delegates  from  all  parts 'of  the  island  having 
assembled  at  San  Cristobal,  a constitution  was  formed  and 
confirmed,  Santana  being  elected  by  the  spontaneous  vote 
of  all  the  towns  of  the  island  President. 

Santana,  it  appears,  was  an  humble  planter,  who  had  been 
living  a quiet  life  in  his  native  district  of  Seybo,  but  called 
into  action  by  the  affairs  of  his  country,  he  seems  to  have 
acted  with  great  decision  and  bravery ; and  being  possessed 
of  much  landed  wealth,  is  said  to  have  used  it  freely  in 
the  service  of  his  country.  Without  being  either  brilliant 
as  a lawyer  or  a soldier,  he  was  possessed  of  good  sound  sense. 

It  would  appear  that  he  resigned  his  office  in  1848;  but 
Zimenes,  his  successor,  playing  into  the  hands  of  Soul- 
ouque,  the  latter  was  induced  to  make  an  incursion  in  1849 
with  4000  men  against  the  Dominicans. 


DESIRE  FOR  ANNEXATION. 


249 


SaDtana  being  called  upon  to  assume  command  of  the 
troops,  met  the  enemy  at  Ocoa,  April  21,  1849,  with  only 
about  400  men,  and  succeeded  in  defeating  Soulouque’s 
army  utterly.  For  this  he  received  the  name  of  Liber- 
tador ; ” and  Zimenes  being  declared  unfit  for  his  position, 
Santana,  forcing  him  to  resign,  restored  peace  and  tran- 
quillity to  the  republic,  acting  under  the  title  of  Dictator. 
But  he  became  unpopular  from  not  securing  the  recognition 
of  the  United  States;  and  in  1849,  Buenaventura  Baez  was 
elected  President  of  the  republic  by  a great  majority  of 
the  electoral  votes, — serving  out  his  full  term,  it  appears, 
with  great  honour  to  himself  and  advantage  to  the  country, 
the  republic  being  now  recognised  as  having  a political 
existence. 

Hardly  had  Baez  taken  his  seat  as  President,  when  he 
was  waited  on  by  a deputation  from  the  Cibao  district, 
bearing  a petition  signed  by  the  most  prominent  men  of 
all  classes,  asking  him  to  open  negotiations  with  the 
United  States  for  the  purpose  of  annexation. 

Baez  does  not  appear  to  have  favoured  this  at  the  time, 
and  advised  its  postponement  till  a future  day,  assuming 
that  the  slavery  existing  in  the  United  States  made  it 
inexpedient  for  a country  so  many  of  whose  citizens  w'ere 
dark-skinned  to  ally  itself  thereto. 

No  one  can  blame  him  for  this,  knowing  full  well,  as  he 
did,  that  his  owm  status  in  the  United  States,  as  regards 
colour,  would  be  hard  to  define  ; while  in  some  parts  of  the 
South  he  would  have  been  placed  on  a par  with  the  field- 
labourer  of  the  plantation.  It  would  appear  he  was  persistent 
in  maintaining  these  views  until  he  saw  that  it  had  become 
a matter  of  necessity,  and  was  decidedly  the  wish  of  the 
entire  people  of  the  republic. 

It  really  does  seem  as  though  for  a few  years  the  Domini- 
can people  enjoyed  a season  of  rest  and  improvement. 
The  country  was  out  of  debt,  the  money  in  circulation, 
consisting  of  paper  issues,  had  a value  fixed  by  the  Govern- 


250 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


merit ; some  attempts  were  made  at  organising  an  army 
and  navy,  stores  and  munitions  for  which  were  duly  pur- 
chased ; while,  more  important  than  all,  a mediation  was 
obtained,  in  which  Great  Britain,  the  United  States,  and 
France  united  in  securing  peace  from  hostile  neighbours. 

As  the  time  for  a new  election  drew  near,  Baez,  who 
had  identified  himself  with  the  party  known  as  the  clerical 
part}",  became  unpopular  with  the  people,  who,  it  appears, 
thought  more  of  the  State  than  of  the  Church ; and  in  con- 
sequence, in  1853,  Santana  was  duly  elected  President. 

There  does  not  seem  to  be  any  reason  to  suppose  that 
Baez  acted  in  anj^  improper  way,  or  committed  any  act 
against  this  decision  of  the  people,  as  he  appears  to  have 
retired  quietly  to  his  estates  in  the*  vicinity  of  Azua. 

Santana,  however,  either  mistrusting  Baez,  or  jealous  of 
the  reputation  he  had  acquired,  seems  to  have  acted  more 
in  keeping  with  the  character  of  his  former  position  as 
Dictator,  rather  than  as  President  of  a free  republic ; for 
he  decreed  the  banishment  of  the  ex-president  from  the 
island,  to  which  decree  Baez  appears  to  have  yielded  quiet 
submission. 

In  order  to  settle  the  status  of  the  clerical  power,  San- 
tana also  made  the  Archbishop  take  the  oath' of  allegiance 
to  him  as  a power  greater  than  the  Church. 

On  the  25th  of  February  1854,  a congress  of  revision 
met  in  the  capital,  and  confirmed  the  constitution  of  1844, 
Santana  promulgating  the  same  as  President  of  the  repub- 
lic on  the  27th,  making  a speech  at  the  same  time  on  the 
happy  state  of  affairs  existing. 

Although  in  the  early  part  of  this  term  Santana  seems 
to  have  been  very  popular,  and  succeeded  in  repelling 
another  attack  made  by  the  Haytian  ruler  Soulouque  in 
1856,  notwithstanding  the  mediation  that  had  been  formed, 
yet  it  would  seem  that  administrative  power  was  not 
one  of  his  gifts,  and  affairs  in  the  island  became  very 
unsettled ; the  credit  of  the  Government  was  lost,  and 


INSURRECTION  IN  GIB  AO. 


251 


public  opinion  became  so  well  fixed  as  to  bis  incapacity 
for  government,  that  be  bimself  was  compelled  to  confess 
liis  inability  to  control  any  longer  its  affairs  ; and,  there- 
fore, resigning  bis  office,  be  retired  to  bis  place  in  tbe 
Seybo  province. 

Curiously  enough,  however,  he  seems  to  have  mistrusted 
tbe  future,  and  made  such  preparations  in  retiring,  by 
taking  ample  supplies  of  ammunition  and  arms,  as  would 
enable  him,  if  he  saw  fit,  to  take  an  active  part  in  future 
events  if  they  should  not  prove  to  his  satisfaction. 

It  is  stated  that  a movement  that  he  made  towards 
leasing  the  Bay  of  Samana  to  the  United  States  was  the 
real  cause  of  the  discontent  against  Santana  in  this  term, 
particularly  as  this  feeling  was  fostered  by  the  representa- 
tives of  foreign  Grovernments,  who,  in  fact,  protested 
against  the  consummation  of  the  treaty,  which  had  been 
prepared  by  the  agent  of  President  Pierce.  The  change 
in  Government  put  an  end  at  that  time  to  these  negotia- 
tions. 

Baez  at  this  time  was  out  of  the  country,  but  all  parties 
pretty  generally  seem  to  have  united  in  requesting  him  to 
return  and  occupy  the  presidential  chair,  Santana  himself 
even  using  his  infiuence  to  induce  the  diplomatic  corps  to 
make  use  of  their  position  to  induce  Baez  to  return,  which, 
after  several  refusals,  he  finally  concluded  to  do,  taking 
his  seat  February  1,  1857. 

Hardly  had  he  been  installed  in  office,  when  attempts  at 
insurrection  in  various  parts  of  the  island  were  made,  all 
of  which  were  put  down,  until  there  arose  a more  formid- 
able one  in  the  region  of  the  Cibao,  of  which  the  large  and 
flourishing  town  of  Santiago  is  the  capital. 

This  place,  the  centre  of  the  tobacco  trade,  controlled 
principally  by  foreign  merchants,  and  with  a population 
more  largely  composed  of  whites  and  active,  enterprising 
coloured  people,  has  always  had  jealousy  existing  among 
its  people  against  St  Domingo  city,  as  being  the  capital  of 


252 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


the  island,  it  being  contended  that  Santiago,  laying  aside 
the  question  of  antiquity,  has  greater  claims  to  hold  that 
position. 

Here,  then,  a strong  feeling,  fostered  it  is  said  by  the 
English  agent,  existed  against  Baez,  which  finally  assumed 
the  form  of  an  irresistible*  rebellion ; and  he  was  driven  in 
1858  from  the  island,  going  to  Europe  to  look  after  some 
private  matters. 

We  have  here  the  first  appearance  in  the  active  affairs  of 
the  island  of  Jose  Maria  Cabral,  the  intimate  friend  and 
schoolmate  of  Baez  in  former  days,  but  latterly  his  poli- 
tical rival.  He  was  with  Baez  at  this  time  taking  part 
in  the  various  encounters  -of  the  rebellion  against  his 
authority,  and  remained  for  a time  on  the  island  after  Baez 
had  left ; but  his  connection  with  that  officer  made  him 
such  an  object  of  suspicion  and  persecution,  that  he,  Cabral, 
found  it  convenient  to  depart  also. 

Santana,  who  had  taken  an  active  part  against  Baez, 
was  again  called  upon  to  preside  over  the  affairs  of  the 
Government,  and  it  was  through  him  the  island  passed 
eventually  back  to  the  Spaniards. 

Unable  to  preserve  peace  among  the  factions  of  the 
island,  without  means  or  resources  for  its  government  and 
improvement,  set  upon  constantly  by  the  Haytians,  who 
on  every  occasion  and  under  every  pretext  sought  an 
excuse  to  war  upon  the  Dominicans,  and  regain  pos- 
session of  the  whole  island  for  themselves,  Santana, 
it  would  seem,  disheartened  with  affairs,  and  believing 
that  some  strong  power  was  necessary  to  preserve  the 
individuality  of  the  Dominican  territory,  suddenly,  and 
almost  without  consultation,  either  of  the  people  of  Domi- 
nica or  their  rulers,  threw  himself  into  the  arms  of  Spain, 
giving  up  to  its  authority,  in  May  1861,  the  entire  possession 
of  the  Spanish  part  of  the  island. 

It  is  a verj"  difficult  matter,  judging  at  this  day  from  the 
chronicles  of  the  times  and  the  conflicting-  statements  of 


BRAVERY  OF  SANTANA. 


253 


friends  or  enemies  of  Santana,  to  form  the  proper  estimate 
of  his  character ; but  it  is  something  to  say  in  his  favour 
that,  up  to  the  period  of  the  Spanish  annexation,  he  appears 
to  have  been  to  a great  extent  the  idol  of  the  population  ; 
and  even  now  the  traveller  frequently  hears  from  the  older 
people  sentiments  of  the  warmest  admiration  for  the  Lion 
of  Seyho,”  as  he  was  called. 

Nominally  the  President  at  different  times,  he  was,  in 
fact,  the  dictator  of  the  island,  whose  will  was  supreme  law. 
His  power  over  the  masses  of  the  people,  it  is  said,  was 
extraordinary  ; and  he  did  not  hesitate  to  punish  the  most  * 
noted  chiefs  of  the  island. 

Many  people  may  blame  him,  and  do,  for  his  desire  of 
annexing  the  island  to  Spain ; but  knowing  what  we  do 
now  of  the  Dominicans  and  their  history,  we  can  afford  to 
look  with  greater  leniency  on  this  act,  in  the  belief  that, 
feeling  the  need  of  means  and  protection  from  a strong 
power,  having  had  experience  of  the  selfishness  of  the 
different  leaders  in  their  party  quarrels,  utterly  ignoring 
the  welfare  of  the  country,  and  having  a watchful  foe  like 
Hayti  ever  ready  to  9,vail  herself  of  the  troubles  and  dis- 
sensions in  the  island,  he  acted  the  part  of  a patriot  and 
statesman  in  ceding  to  Spain  the  possession  of  a territory 
which  had  been  identified  with  the  glories  of  her  past 
history. 

Charity  will  concede  as  much,  we  think,  to  a man  whose 
memory  to-day  is  revered ; who,  while  alive,  was  always 
honest,  and  who,  for  himself,  never  despoiled  the  public 
treasury.  Valiant  without  a rival,  he  was  the  first  to  hasten 
to  battle,  and  his  breast  was  the  first  presented  to  the  balls 
of  Haytian  enemies.  He  gained  with  justice  from  his 
admiring  countrymen  the  appellation  of  ‘‘  Libertador  de  la 
Patria.” 

In  manner,  Santana  is  said  to  have  been  rough  and 
brutal,  though,  according  to  some  authorities,  he  would  be 
better  characterised  as  determined. 


254 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


Santana  seems  to  have  been  really  desirous  of  annexing 
the  island  to  the  United  States ; but  in  this,  it  is  said,  he  was 
frustrated  by  the  threats  and  opposition  of  the  French 
Consul-General  at  Port-au-Prince,  Maxime  Eaybaud.  He 
then  offered  it  to  France,  and  finally  to  Spain,  sending  for 
this  purpose  General  Alfan  to  make  the  offer. 

That  the  people  of  St  Domingo  were  not  generally  con- 
sulted in  this  movement  there  can  be  no  doubt,  and  even 
in  some  of  the  cases  where  an  effort  was  made  to  consult 
their  wishes,  a decision  was  given  against  this  action. 

The  whole  scheme,  it  is  said, — and  appears  to  have  been, 
— was  a private  one  of  Santana’s,  who,  calling  together  the 
commanders  and  governors  of  the  different  districts  of  the 
republic,  informed  them  he  had  opened  negotiations  with  the 
Spaniards  to  incorporate  into  their  monarchy  the  Domini- 
can republic  ; and  gave  instructions  how  they  were  to  treat 
the  people  in  regard  to  securing  their  votes. 

Many  of  those  who  gave  their  votes  testify  they  were  not 
aware  to  what  extent  this  plan  of  incorporation  was  to  be 
carried ; and  it  is  even  stated  that  Santana  himself  was  de- 
ceived eventually  by  the  Spaniards.  This  may  be  believed  if 
we  read  the  treaty  made  between  the  two  authorities,  which 
seems  just  and  reasonable  enough,  if  its  provisions  had  been 
fairly  carried  out,  which  they  were  not. 

This  treaty  embodies  as  follows  : — 

1.  That  the  industrial  freedom  shall  be  preserved  without 
the  power  of  slavery  being  re-established. 

2.  That  the  republic  of  Dominica  shall  be  considered  as 
2.  province  of  Spain,  and  enjoy  the  same  privileges. 

3.  The  services  of  the  greatest  number  possible  of  the 
men  who  have  been  of  importance  in  the  country  since  1841, 
particularly  those  of  the  army,  shall  be  recognised  and  have 
preference  in  appointments. 

4.  That  as  one  of  the  first  measures,  the  Spanish  Govern- 
ment shall  recognise  the  responsibility  of  the  paper  circulat- 
ing in  the  island  as  money. 


TREATY  WITH  SPAIN. 


255 


5.  That  it  shall  recognise  as  valid  all  acts  of  the  Domini- 
can Governments  that  have  succeeded  one  another  in  the 
island  from  the  birth  of  the  republic. 

Spain  denies  that  there  was  any  previous  treaty  made  for 
this  incorporation,  claiming  that  it  was  the  spontaneous  act 
of  the  people. 

Facts,  however,  do  not  corroborate  this,  for  it  appears 
the  measures  of  the  Spanish  Government  were  taken  with 
due*  deliberation,  while  the  people  of  St  Domingo  were 
taken  by  surprise.  In  the  circular  sent  by  Santana  to  the 
governors,  it  was  stated  that  Dominica  was  to  be  considered 
as  a province  of  Spain.  When  the  affair  was  consummated, 
and  the  treaty  came  to  he  signed,  it  was  found  that  this 
was -meant  to  be  considered  as  a province  beyond  sea,  to  be 
governed  as  were  Cuba  and  Puerto  Rico. 

It  will  be  curious  to  watch  the  opinions  of  the  press  in 
Spain  as  an  exposition  of  Spanish  sentiment  and  policy 
on  American  affairs  on  this  St  Domingo  question ; and  we 
find  the  Cronica  of  1861,  speaking  of  the  unexpected 
demonstration  ” in  St  Domingo,  accounts  for  it  on  these 
grounds : — 

‘‘  Fear  of  their  enemies  on  the  border,  who  wish  to 
possess  their  territory;  mistrust  of  the  United  States  in  its 
aspirations  ; that,  instructed  by  the  lack  of  success  of  the 
republics  of  the  Continent,  they  have  hopes  of  sharing  in 
the  same  benefits  as  Cuba  and  Puerto  Rico,  and  that  they 
want  to  be  permanently  governed.  Tired  of  its  own  inde- 
pendence, and  afraid  of  the  encroachments  of  the  United 
States,  it  seeks  our  protecting  power.  And  with  this  island 
stretching  its  right  liand  to  Puerto  Rico  and  its  left  to  Cuba, 
we  commence  a new  system,  giving  us  the  control  of  the 
GulfP 

Nevertheless,  they  were  a little  fearful  that  the  United 
States  would  interfere  with  this  occupation ; but  that 
Government  being  busy  with  its  own  rebellion,  took  no 
steps  against  it,  but  eventually  recognised  the  transfer. 

20 


256 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


They  claimed  that  the  principal  service  that  St  Do- 
mingo can  render  us,  is  that  of  preventing  the  North 
American  race  from  getting  a footing  too  near  Cuba.” 

A weak  opposition  only  was  manifested  in  Spain 
against  this  project,  some  of  the  papers  stating,  in  order 
to  create  a feeling  against  it,^  that  yellow  fever  constantly 
prevails  in  St  Domingo,  and  Le  Clerc’s  expedition  was  cited 
as  an  illustration  of  the  fatal  consequences  that  might  be 
anticipated  for  the  Spanish  soldiers  in  taking  possession. 

This  charge  was  met  by  the  assertion,  ^^that  while  it  is 
true  that  the  Antilles  are  subject  to  this  fever,  it  is  also 
certain  there  are  portions  never  affected  by  it,  and  among 
these  is  St  Domingo,  in  which  not  a single  Spaniard  who 
has  gone  there  has  lost  his  life  from  it,  but,  on  the  Con- 
trary, all  live  happy  and  contented.” 

This  transfer  was  consummated  by  Santana  inviting  the 
population  of  St  Domingo  city  to  meet  in  the  cathedral 
square  to  witness  the  incorporation  with  Spain. 

Two  war-steamers  had  been  sent  by  Spain  to  Calderas 
harbour,  and  a number  of  Spanish  ofl&cers  had  landed  at 
St  Domingo,  without  visiting  any  other  parts;  and  on  the 
day  of  this  incorporation  these  two  vessels  of  war  came  up 
abreast  of  the  city. 

From  daybreak  of  the  18th  March  1861,  signal  was 
given  of  the  solemn  proclamation  of  the  union  of  St  Do- 
mingo, numbers  of  people  circulated  about  the  streets,  and 
at  six  A.M.  the  plaza  ” was  peopled  by  numbers  of  all 
classes,  and  a short  time  after  began  to  arrive  the  troops 
that  had  constituted  the  garrison,  all  without  arms. 

General  Perez,  chief  of  the  capital,  arrived  with  his 
staff,  while  senators,  officers,  and  some  persons  of  distinc- 
tion were  present. 

General  Santana  made  a.  speech  from  the  balcony  of  the 
court  of  justice,  informing  the  people  what  was  to  be  done, 
and  announcing,  in  accordance  with  the  expressed  wishes 
of  the  people  (?),  the  alliance  with  Spain. 


ACT  OF  INGORFORATIOF. 


257 


Two  prominent  chiefs,  who  had  heretofore  manifested 
their  opposition  to  the  scheme,  were  by  some  means  in- 
duced to  remain  tranquil,  and  though  present,  they,  with 
ihe  people,  seem  to  have  remained  quiescent,  offering  no 
sign  either  of  dissent  or  approval. 

The  secretary  of  General  Santana  read  the  act  of  in- 
corporation, as  follows : — 

In  the  very  noble  and  loyal  city  of  St  Domingo,  on 
the  18th  day  of  the  month  of  March  1861,  we  the  under- 
signed, met  in  the  Hall  of  the  Palace  of  Justice  of  this 
capital,  declare,  that  of  our  free  and  spontaneous  will,  in 
our  own  name  and  that  of  those  who  have  conferred  the 
power  upon  us  of  acting  for  them,  solemnly  proclaim  the 
Queen  and  Lady  the  excellent  Isabel  II. , in  whose  hands 
we  deposit  the  sovereignty  that  until  now  we  have  exercised 
as  members  of  the  Republic  of  Dominica.  We  declare 
equally  that  it  is  our  free  and  spontaneous  will,  as  well  as 
that  of  the  people,  who  by  our  presence  in  this  place  we 
represent,  that  all  the  territory  of  the  republic  is  annexed 
to  the  crown  of  Spain,  to  whom  it  belonged  before  the 
treaty  of  the  18th  February  1855,  in  which  her  most 
Catholic  Majesty  recognised  as  a sovereign  state  that 
which  to-day  of  its  spontaneous  will  the  people  to  it 
return  this  sovereignty.  In  witness  of  which,”  &c. 

Notice  was  at  once  sent  to  Governor  Serrano  at  Cuba, 
and  immediately  troops  to  the  number  of  3000  poured  in 
from  that  island  and  Puerto  Rico,  until  further  levies 
from  Spain  arrived,  the  whole  number  reaching  eventually 
some  6000  men. 

Rut  it  must  not  be  supposed  that  the  incorporation  went 
on  thus  smoothly  all  over  the  island;  on  the  contrary, 
though  I hud  records  of  documents  purporting  to  be 
the  will  of  the  people  of  San  Juan,  San  Antonio  de 
Guerra,  Pedro  de  Macoris,  Raya  Guana,  Monte  Plata, 
Savana  la  Mar,  and  Seybo,  signed  each  by  the  governor 
or  commandant,  the  parish  priests,  and  one  or  two  of  the 


258 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


prominent  officials,  as  representing  the  will  of  the  people, 
yet  I do  not  find  any  record  of  the  general  popular  will  at 
such  places  as  Azua,  Puerto  Plata,  Mocha,  Vega,  San- 
tiago, and  Monte  Cristo. 

On  the  contrary,  I even  find  that  at  Macoris  (San 
Francisco  de)  an  attempt  was  made  by  the  people  of  that 
town  to  dispute  this  action  of  the  Grovernment;  but  the 
governor  of  the  place,  putting  a cannon  in  position  on 
the  plaza,  opened  fire  on  the  people,  who  were  thus 
dispersed. 

Some  time  after,  when  troops  had  been  landed  at  Puerto 
Plata,  the  ceremony  of  exchanging  the  Dominican  for  the 
Spanish  banner  took  place,  in  presence  of  these  armed 
bodies. 

Spain  began  her  rule  with  fair  and  generous  promises, 
but  they  were  not  fulfilled.  She  mistook  entirely  the 
temper  of  the  Dominican  people.  She  forgot  that  they 
were  freemen,  and  had  virtually  been  their  own  masters 
for  three  quarters  of  a century.” 

So  far  from  keeping  close  to  a.  liberal  reading  of  the 
terms  of  the  treaty,  no  sooner  was  she  assured  of  her  pos- 
session of  the  island,  than  the  promises  to  her  most 
favoured  ” province  were  forgotten.  In  place  of  the  im- 
provements promised,  and  the  appointment  of  Dominicans 
to  office,  hordes  of  officials  came  from  the  two  slaveholding 
islands  of  Puerto  Rico  and  Cuba,  and  were  placed  in 
authority  over  the  heads  of  free  citizens,  many  of  whom, 
from  their  colour,  they  professed  to  look  upon  as  no  better 
than  bondsmen. 

A machinery  of  Government  was  established,  oppressive 
and  intolerable,  for  which  the  people  were  expected  to  pay, 
and  calculations  were  made  as  though  based  upon  an  im- 
mense revenue,  to  be  derived  from  a country  flourishing 
in  agriculture  and  commerce,  and  with  a numerous  and 
well-to-do  population — ^just  the  reverse  of  the  actual  con- 
dition of  the  island.  It  is  stated  that  the  entire  expenditure 


INSURRECTION. 


259 


of  tlie  republic  for  the  year  preceding  the  Spanish  annexation 
was  hut  $241,347,  while  the  estimates  for  the  year  1863, 
remitted  to  Spain  for  approval,  amounted  to  $4,476,000, 
and  this  to  be  applied  to  the  administration  of  a territory 
some  20,000  square  miles  in  extent,  containing  less  than 
150,000  inhabitants. 

The  same  policy  that  ruled  in  the  slaveholding  island 
of  Cuba  was  endeavoured  to  be  reproduced  in  St  Domingo, 
and  though  some  of  the  wiser  and  more  enlightened  minds 
of  Spain  protested  against  the  folly  of  endeavouring  to 
make  a free  people  retrograde,  the  policy  was  persisted  in, 
until  it  brought  its  own  reward. 

Let  us  see  what  the  Spaniards  themselves  say  in  their 
press. 

But  if  in  this  incorporation  Spain  proposes  nothing 
else  than  a vain  display  of  authority,  if  she  seeks  nothing 
more  than  a means  ^f  satisfying  a horde  of  hungry  agents, 
who  hope  to  prosper  at  the  expense  of  the  country,’^  &c. 

The  Cabinet  of  O’Donnel  could  not  accept  the  rein- 
corporation to  Spain  of  DorUinica,  in  order  to  condemn  it 
to  the  same  rules  that  were  prevalent  in  the  Antilles.” 

At  no  time,  while  the  Spaniards  were  in  possession,  was 
there  perfect  peace  in  the  island.  At  St  Domingo  city, 
where  were  the  principal  headquarters  of  the  officials, 
tranquillity  and  contentment,  arising  from  the  flow  of 
Spanish  gold,  seem  to  have  prevailed  up  to  the  very  hour 
of  the  departure  of  the  Spaniards;  but  in  the  other 
parts,  especially  in  the  Cibao  and  the  north,  great  dis- 
content prevailed. 

Hardly  a month  elapsed  before  numbers  of  the  Domini- 
cans opposed  to  annexation,  who  liad  gathered  together 
in  Haytian  territory,  promoted  an  insurrectionary  move- 
ment. Getfrard,  who  had  become  ihe  ruler  of  Hayti,  on 
receiving  news  of  the  Spanish  incorporation  had  protested 
against  it,  in  which  he  was  also  joined  by  the  re])resenta- 
tives  of  France  and  England.  Issuing  a proclamation,  in 


260 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


whicli  he  put  forth  doctrines  that  seem  to  he  those  of 
the  present  rulers  of  Hayti,  he  held  that  “ from  the 
moment  when  two  peoples  inhabit  the  same  island,  their 
destinies,  bj^  sympathy  or  attempts  of  the  stranger,  are 
necessarily  united.  The  political  existence  of  the  one  is 
intimately  allied  to  that  of  the  other,  and  they  are  bound 
to  guarantee  one  to  the  other  their  mutual  safety.” 

The  negro  population,  fearful  that  the  restoration  of 
European  power  in  the  island  would  bring  a return  of 
slavery,  sided  with  the  Dominicans,  claiming  that  the 
proposed  organisation  given  to  the  Island  of  St  Domingo 
defrauded  completely  the  people  of  those  hopes  they  had  for 
the  future  in  their  change  of  Government.” 

With  these  views,  the  movement  of  the  Dominicans 
sheltered  in  Haytian  territory  was  encouraged;  and  at  the 
head  of  this  party  was  General  Cabral,  who  had  united  with 
him  several  other  prominent  chiefs,  among  them  General 
Sanchez.  These,  marching  upon  Santiago  almost  before 
the  Spaniards  had  time  to  take  possession,  proclaimed  a 
republic. 

Santana,  who  had  marched  to  Azua  on  the  appearance 
of  opposition,  from  thence  despatched  General  Alfau  to 
the  Cibao,  where  he  was  successful  in  putting  down  the 
republican  movement,  capturing  nearly  all  the  leaders 
except  Cabral,  who  made  his  escape  into  Hayti,  wounded 
and  sick. 

Most  of  these  prisoners,  comprising  the  very  best  of  the 
youth  of  the  Cibao,  were  murdered  in  cold  blood;  and 
though  for  the  time  this  had  the  effect  of  putting  an  end  to 
any  future,  attempts  at  rebellion,  the  fire  of  independence 
only  slumbered,  awaiting  the  slightest  breath  to  fan  it 
into  flame. 

So  heavily,  however,  did  the  Spanish  rule  weigh  upon  the 
people,  that  small  revolts  were  constantly  occurring  in 
different  parts  of  the  island,  and  it  seemed  impossible  to 
secure  peace ; though  it  is^  stated  that,  with  great  nobility 


GENERAL  BUG  ETA.  ' 


261 


of  character,  the  Dominicans  did  not  at  first  revenge  the 
cruelties  perpetrated  on  them  by  the  Spaniards,  but  even 
returned  their  prisoners  on  parole. 

Oppression,  however,  became  so  strong,  that  a general 
desire  for  freedom  prevailed  throughout  the  island,  but 
particular!}^  in  the  Cibao  region,  of  which  Santiago  was 
the  capital,  where  the  Spaniards  had,  in  the  Fort  St  Louis, 
their  principal  headquarters. 

So  serious  did  this  feeling  become,  that  the  Spaniards 
seem  to  have  become  alarmed,  and  a general  amnesty  wa^ 
declared  to  all,  whether  they  had  acted  in  opposition  before 
annexation  or  in  rebellion  since. 

It  was  too  late;  the  smouldering  fire  was  not  to  be 
entirely  quenched,  especially  with  such  rulers  as  General 
Buceta  in  command  of  the  Cibao  district. 

Stained  with  every  crime,  this  man  had  been  expelled 
as  a criminal  off'ender  from  Spain,  but  had  at  first  been 
given  the  command  of  Samana,  being  afterwards  removed 
to  Santiago,  where  his  greatest  pleasure  seems  to  have 
been  in  seeing  how  much  he  could  torment  the  people 
over  whom  he  was  placed.  He  ruled  with  an  iron  hand; 
and  the  accounts  of  his  brutality  and  cruelty  are  some- 
thing frightful,  testified  to,  as  they  were,  in  my  presence 
])y  priest  and  layman,  man  and  woman. 

Although  representations  were  made  to  higher  authority 
asking  for  the  removal  of  this  Governor,  no  notice  what- 
ever appears  to  have  been  taken  of  them ; and  he  retained 
Ids  position  until  at  last  the  people,  worn  out  with  his 
cruelties  and  oppressions,  as  well  as  those  of  other  officials, 
broke  into  open  rebellion ; and  at  the  mountain  Capotillo 
near  the  village  of  Dajabon,  an  humble  farmer,  a country- 
man named  Cabrera,  raised  the  banner  of  revolt. 

This  man,  utterly  illiterate,  not  even  knowing  how  to 
read  or  write,  placed  himself  at  the  head  of  sixteen  men 
in  August  18(53,  and  descended  into  the  plain  of  Monte 
Cristo,  where  he  was  joined  by  Pimentel,  Lu|)eron,  and 


262 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


others,  who  took  possession  of  the  small'  village  of 
Savaneta. 

Here  they  were  joined  by  a large  body  of  Dominican 
refugees  from  Hayti,  who,  crossing  the  frontier,  united  their 
forces,  then  marched  upon  and  took  Dajabon,  Guayubin,  &c. 

A Spanish  column  that  was  despatched  from  Santiago 
to  meet  them  was  dispersed  with  slaughter,  after  being 
ambushed.  General  Buceta  himself  was  left  alone,  and 
only  by  good  luck  made  his  way  back  to  the  city,  where 
he  assumed  command,  troops  having  arrived  to  support 
him. 

About  2000  Dominicans,  however,  marched  down  and 
took  possession  of  Puerto  Plata,  but  the  arrival  of  the 
vessel  of  war  Isabel  //.,  which  landed  a force  under  cover 
of  her  guns,  compelled  them  to  evacuate  it. 

From  this  beginning  spread  rapidly  throughout  the 
island  the  war  against  the  Spaniards,  who,  so  far  from 
accepting  this  action  as  the  wish  of  a free  people,  looked 
upon  it  as  the  action  of  revolted  slaves. 

As  the  Dominican  people  have  been  reflected  upon  for 
their  apparent  readiness  to  accept  the  dominion  of  Spain 
and  then  throw  it  off,  I have,  in  order  to  be  perfectly 
impartial  in  the  matter,  sought  my  information  principally 
from  Spanish  sources;  and  I shall  here  quote  the  remarks 
of  the  Spanish  press  when  the  news  came  of  this  rising 
in  St  Domingo. 

After  acknowledging  that  the  island  was  not  unanimous 
in  favour  of  annexation,  the  Cronica  says,  “ Now  that  it 
is  done,  the  only  way  to  pacify  it  is  to  leave  the  people  as 
free  as  possible  consistent  with  its  subjection  to  Spain. 

Give  to  the  Dominicans  political  liberty,  economy  of 
government,  and  peace,  and  in  a few  years  its  population 
will  increase  ; and  so  far  from  being  a charge  to  us,  it 
would  be  a source  of  revenue  for  Spain. 

In  St  Domingo  there  only  needs  labourers  for  agricul- 
ture, for  industry,  for  the  arts ; it  needs  a great  immigra- 


WAB  WITH  SPAIN. 


263 


tion  from  Europe  if  it  is  to  prosper ; it  is  a healthy  country, 
a virgin  country. 

The  responsibility  of  the  O’Donnel  Cabinet  is  not  in 
having  accepted  annexation,  hut  in  not  having  secured  it, 
converting  it  in  their  hands  into  an  element  powerful  and 
beneficial  for  Spain.” 

And  when  the  pride  and  ire  of  Spain  was  roused  by  the 
further  news  that  came  of  the  probability  that  the  insur- 
rection could  not  be  subdued,  Let  us  promptly  quell 
this  insurrection  with  all  our  forces,  and  this  done,  let  us 
restore  to  the  Dominicans  those  rights  and  privileges  oj 
which  we  have  robbed  them. 

The  Duke  of  Tetuan  began  by  attacking  in  place  of 
respecting  existing  customs,  first  of  which  was  the  religion 
that  for  forty  years  had  been  tolerated. 

The  Archbishop  Monijan  had  hardly  arrived  when 
he  ordered  the  Protestant  churches  to  be  closed.  Before 
the  annexation  an  interment  cost  $60,  after  his  arrival 
it  cost  $500. 

They  have  deprived  the  islanders  of  office,  some  of  the 
most  prominent  men  having  been  removed,  and  they  have 
inflicted  upon  the  island  a horde  of  rapacious  officials. 

‘‘  This  was  the  error ; people  that  have  once  tasted  of 
liberty,  before  resigning  themselves  to  lose  it,  prefer 
death.  They  should  then  have  respected  the  -franchises 
and  liberties  of  the  Dominicans,  without  taking  into 
account  the  rule  that  governs  for  the  other  of  its  Antilles. 
In  fact,  the  Island  of  St  Domingo,  in  place  of  gaining, 
has  lost.” 

So  positive,  however,  were  the  Spaniards  in  their  deter- 
mination not  to  relinquish  the  island,  that  in  April  1864, 
in  the  Cortes,  the  Minister,  President  of  the  Council,  said 
“ they  would  fight  in  the  Island  of  St  Domingo  until  they 
triumphed,  calling  forth  ah  their  resources,  since  they 
would  not  permit  an  atom  of  territory  to  be  alienated  from 
Spain.” 


264 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


But  it  is  amusing  to  read,  when  things  became  desperate, 
how  some  of  those  very  writers  who  had  previously  beeu 
loudest  in  praise  of  St  Domingo  now  saw  fit  to  depreciate 
it,  and  so  wrote  : The  people,  accustomed  to  a solitary 

life  in  the  woods,  can,  owing  to  the  lack  of  roads  and 
population,  maintain  a constant  guerilla  warfare.  There 
are  Dominicans  who  cross  entire  leagues  of  earth  leaping 
from  tree  to  tree.,  without  touching  the  ground  with  the 
soles  of  their  feet;  and,  born  in  this  climate,  they  do  not 
suffer  from  the  fevers  that  attack  the  European  who  risks 
his  life  in  their  woods.” 

I have  neither  the  space  in  this  volume  nor  the  inclina- 
tion to  detail  the  horrors  of  this  war,  that  continued  until 
1865,  in  which  every  atrocity  which  the  human  mind 
can  conceive  was  committed;  and  the  details  of  some  of 
the  acts  of  the  Spanish  officials  show  that,  while  they  have 
not  forgotten  the  example  of  crimes  perpetrated  in  this 
very  island  by  their  bloodthirsty  ancestors,  the  civilisation 
of  the  present  day  has  done  nothing  towards  softening 
those  instincts  engendered  by  the  blood  of  these  same 
ancestors. 

I well  remember,  being  in  Cuba  at  this  period,  how  the 
blood  was  chilled  by  the  accounts  we  received  from  the 
neighbouring  isle  of  St  Domingo;  and  the  inhabitants  of  | 
the  former  beautiful  isle  little  thought  then  that  in  a few  j 
short  years  these  same  scenes  of  Spanish  cruelty  and 
oppression  were  to  be  enacted  on  their  own  shores  by  their 
tyrannical  masters.  * 

So  general  became  this  revolt  against  the  Spaniards  in 
St  Domingo,  that  many  of  those  who  had  finally  accepted 
the  government  of  Spain  were  now  heartily  opposed  to  it, 
and  in  rebellion  against  its  authority. 

Among  these.  General  Baez,  who  had  taken  the  oath  of 
allegiance,  and  had  visited  Spain,  where  he  was  made  a 
General  of  Division,  was  found. 

General  Cabral,  who  at  first  had  revolted,  as  we  have  1 


SPANISH  ATROCITIES. 


265 


seen,  but  afterwards  recognised  tbe  sovereignty  of  Isabella, 
having,  through  the  intercession  of  Baez,  been  pardoned, 
and  taken*  the  oath  of  allegiance,  united  with  Baez  in 
efforts  to  succour  their  country,  taking  refuge  in  Hayti, 
where  they  sought  help  from  Geffrard,  even  offering  him, 
it  is  said,  a portion  of  the  Dominican  territory  at  present 
comprising  part  of  the  province  of  Azua. 

Suffice  it  to  say  here,  however,  that  the  Spaniards,  being 
eventually  compelled  to  leave  the  island,  they  left  it  as 
near  as  human  hands  could  make  it  a waste  of  desola- 
tion ; and  the  traveller  to-day  will  find  hardly  a spot  in 
this  beautiful  land  that  does  not  bear  testimony  in  a ruined 
town,  well-filled  graves,  or  a desolated  household,  of  this 
last  epoch  of  the  ‘‘Time  of  the  Spaniards.” 

It  was  a bitter  pill  for  the  pride  of  Spain  to  be  com- 
pelled to  relinquish  her  hold  upon  the  island ; and  the 
press  was  free  in  its  denunciations  of  those  who,  by  their 
acts  had  brought  about  this  state  of  affairs. 

“ And  the  Archbishop  of  St  Domingo,  who  is  now  at 
Toledo — what  has  he  done?  We  must  be  severe,  for  the 
greater  the  rank,  the  position,  and  the  power,  the  greater 
the  responsibility.  He  went  there  filled  with  old-fashioned 
ideas  of  the  time  of  the  Inquisition ; he  found  Protestant 
chapels,  he  wished  to  shut  them;  he  met  with  Protestant 
families,  he  wished  to  expel  them;  he  encountered  people 
legitimately  married  by  Protestant  ceremony,  he  wished 
to  separate  them.  To  paint  the  harm  this  great  imprud- 
ence has  done  is  impossible.” 

At  last,  by  an  act  of  the  Cortes,  March  3,  1805,  the 
island  of  St  Domingo  was  declared  free  again,  Spain  pro- 
testing that  in  1861  slie  had  only  listened  to  the  voices 
of  the  Dominicans  in  asking  for  annexation,  as, she  did 
now  for  separation. 

But  even  before  the  Spaniards  took  their  departure,  a 
quasi-form  of  Government  had  been  effected  ; for  in  August 
1863,  after  Biiceta  had  been  defeated  at  Santiago,  the 


266 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


town  burned,  and  he  compelled  to  withdraw  into  the  fort, 
the  Dominicans  marched  down  to  Puerto  Plata,  and  there 
proclaimed  the  new  republic,  with  Pepillo  Salcedo  as  its 
first  President.  But  he,  being  suspected  of  collusion  with 
the  Spaniards,  was  overthrown  by  General  Polanco,  who 
was  proclaimed  President ; until  Pimentel,  whom  we  have 
already  seen  among  the  first  to  take  up  arms,  following 
this  example,  headed  a movement  against  Polanco,  and  he 
became  President,  and  remained  so  at  the  time  of  the 
departure  of  the  Spanish  troops.  And  thus,  by  a series  of 
events  peculiar  to  St  Domingo,  before  it  had  ceased  to  be 
part  of  a monarchy  it  had  already  been  three  times  a 
republic. 

Pimentel,  who  seems  to  have  been  only  a simple  farmer, 
blessed  with  good  common  sense,  but  no  education  what- 
ever, joining  the  patriot  forces  with  no  other  object  than 
to  benefit  his  country,  became  by  force  of  circumstances 
its  chief. 

Santana,  meanwhile,  the  former  great  leader,  who  had 
been  made  Captain- General,  but  had  resigned  his  position 
and  retired  to  his  farm  until  the  rebellion  broke  out,  when 
he  offered  his  services  to  the  Spaniards,  had  just  died  in 
St  Domingo  cit}",  without  having  gained  any  reward  for 
his  efforts  to  settle  the  country — dying,  in  fact,  it  is  said, 
from  sorrow  and  mortification  at  seeing  the  cruelties  in- 
fiicted  on  his  countrymen  by  the  very  men  whom  he  had 
aided  to  bring  into  it. 

A strong  feeling  at  this  time  was  manifested  in  favour  of 
annexation  to  the  United  States.  When  the  Spaniards  left, 
Pimentel,  however,  found  he  had  a rival  in  General  Cabral, 
who,  with  the  military  chief  Manzueta,  was  at  the  head  of 
the  troops  of  the  south  at  the  capital ; and  as  soon  as  the 
place  was  evacuated,  they  availed  themselves  of  the  absence 
of  Pimentel,  then  on  the  frontier  resisting  an  attempt  of 
Sal  nave  to  overthrow  Geffrard,  to  march  into  the  city  and 
proclaim  against  Pimentel. 


GENERAL  CABRAL. 


267 


The  latter,  when  he  heard  of  this  new  aspirant  for  Presi- 
dent, tendered  his  resignation ; and  Cabral  was  proclaimed 
Protector  by  the  voices  of  a few  hundred  people  gathered 
in  the  plaza  at  St  Domingo  city,  being  incited  thereto  by 
the  friends  of  Cabral,  August  4,  1865. 

The  rest  of  the  island  seems  to  have  known  nothing  of 
this  new  movement,  and  the  entire  district  of  the  powerful 
Cibao  ^eems  to  have  been  entirely  unconsulted ; but  this  is 
the  way  Governments  are  made  in  this  famous  island.  A 
few  hundred  people  gather  together,  and  shout  Vive 
Cabral ! ” Yive  Polanco  ! ” and  the  fortunate  chief  called 
declares  himself  the  Government. 

Cabral,  however,  who,  it  appears,  had  made  use  of  the 
plea  that  he  was  acting  for  Baez,  did  not  remain  long  undis- 
turbed; for  the  people,  finding  out  his  desire  to  become  their 
ruler,  grew  restless.  A decree  was  then  issued  by  Cabral 
calling  for  a Congress  to  elect  regularly  a President,  and 
form  a constitution.  On  the  25th  September  1865,  the 
Convention  for  framing  a constitution  met  after  eight  days 
had  been  passed  in  electing  members.  During  this  delay. 
General  Pedro  Guillermo  organised  a movement  in  the 
Seybo  province  ; and  a party  formed  at  the  town  of  Higuey. 
Taking  for  their  watchword,  Cabral,  Manzueta,  and  Baez,” 
they  marched  to  Seybo  without  opposition ; but  arriving 
before  the  walls  of  the  capital,  they  were  denied  entrance  by 
the  people  (though  it  appears  Cabral  was  willing  enough 
to  allow  them  to  enter).  He,  however,  went  to  San  Cristobal 
to  raise  troops  to  oppose  this  movement,  leaving  Pimentel 
in  the  city,  who,  entering  into  league  with  Guillermo,  pro- 
nounced for  Baez  as  President. 

It  must  be  understood  that  Baez  was  not  in  the  country ; 
but  in  almost  every  movement  that  had  taken  ]>lace  in  the 
island,  the  eyes  of  the  people  seem  to  have  searched  out 
Baez  as  the  only  man  who  had  the  ability  and  disposition 
to  govern  them  honestly.  Even  Santana  had  stated  that 
he  made  the  Spanish  annexation  in  order  to  have  Baez 


268 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


as  Governor  of  the  island ; and  no  sooner  had  the  war  of 
the  Spaniards  assumed  a favourable  aspect,  than  Salcedo, 
one  of  the  revolutionary  chiefs,  had  written  to  Baez,  pray- 
ing him  for  his  country’s  sake  to  come  and  assume  control 
of  the  Government. 

Guillermo,  being  permitted  to  enter  the  city,  assumed 
command ; but  the  Congress  refused  to  recognise-  his 
authority,  claiming  that  Cabral,  as  Protector,  represented 
the  Government  until  a President  was  regularly  appointed. 
By  an  article  of  the  constitution  it  was  provided  that  Con- 
gress should  appoint  the  first  President,  and  they,  it  appears, 
were  decidedly  in  favour  of  Cabral ; but  Manzueta,  acting 
in  connection  with  Guillermo,  both  of  whom  professed  to 
represent  the  wishes  of  the  entire  island,  and  not  that  of 
the  capital  alone,  walked  into  the  congressional  halls,  and 
announced  to  the  members,  drawing  his  sword  at  the  same 
time  as  a weighty  argument,  that  they  must  elect  Baez  as 
President,  which  it  appears  they  did ; and  there  seems  no 
reason  to  doubt  that  this  was  really  in  accord  with  the 
wishes  of  the  people,  with  whom  Baez  was  now  particularly 
popular,  as  being  the  advocate  of  the  doctrine  of  universal 
sufii’age. 

A commission  was  formed  in  October  1865  of  some  of  the 
most  prominent  citizens,  for  the  purpose  of  proceeding  to 
the  neighbouring  island  of  Cura^oa,  and  inviting  General 
Baez  to  come  and  assume  the  reins  of  government.  Although 
I do  not  find  that  Baez  used  any  elforts  to  bias  public 
opinion,  yet  the  desire  at  this  time  appears  to  have  been 
unanimous  throughout  the  island  that  Baez  should  be  called 
to  be  President.  Even  Cabral  solicited  appointment  as  one 
of  the  commissioners,  and  Pimentel  and  other  prominent 
chiefs  pronounced  decidedly  for  Baez.  But  it  was  only 
after  repeated  elforts  that  Baez  finally  concluded  to  accept 
the  invitation,  and  in  forming  his  cabinet,  Cabral  received 
the  appointment  of  Minister  of  War,  while  Pimentel  was 
made  Secretary  of  the  Interior, 


CABRAVS  PROJECTS. 


269 


In  December  1865  a new  constitution  was  formed,  but 
this  only  lasted  until  the  following  April,  when  it  was  set 
aside,  and  the  constitution  originally  adopted  under  San- 
tana in  1854  substituted  for  it. 

Cabral,  it  appears,  is  a man  who  has  always  had  ambitious 
projects  for  himself,  desiring  positions  which  he  has  not  the 
ability  to  fill.  Born  in  St  Domingo,  he  was  partially 
educated  in  England,  where  he  passed  several  years  of  his 
life,  when,  returning  to  the  island,  and  becoming  mixed 
up  in  its  military  affairs,  he  gained  considerable  experi- 
ence in  the  practical  duties  of  war-making  on  a small 
scale.  A tall,  raw-boned  mulatto,  of  much  bravery,  he 
was  well  calculated  for  a guerilla  leader ; but  in  the  admini- 
strative duties  of  Minister  of  War  he  seems  to  have  fallen 
into  his  proper  place  of  a mere  cipher ; and  becoming  dis- 
gusted with  his  position,  he,  under  plea  of  ill-health,  sought 
a refuge  in  Cura^oa  ; and  from  there,  with  a certain  General 
Valverde,  began  his  machinations  to  overthrow  Baez.  In 
this  they  were  joined  by  Pimentel,  who,  claiming  that  the 
change  of  constitution  was  a farce,  attempted  to  provoke 
insurrections  against  Baez,  and  incited  the  people  of  the 
Cibao  to  rebel. 

Baez,  in  this  case,  appears  to  have  behaved  with  great 
magnanimity,  for  though  he  had  Pimentel  in  his  power 
after  his  treason,  he  does  not  seem  to  have  treated  him 
I harshly ; and  finding  that  Cabral  had  sought  refuge  in 
I Hayti,  from  whence  he  designed  making  an  attempt  on  St 
I Domingo,  he  sent  him  word  that,  in  order  to  save  blood- 
shed, he,  15aez,  would  resign  his  position,  and  Cabral  could 
c’ome  and  take  it. 

This  conspiracy  against  Baez,  it  appears,  united  together 
Pimentel,  Cabral,  and  Valverde,  the  pretext  they  used  being 
that  Baez  had  altered  the  constitution  ; but  it  is  evident 
there  were  other  more  truthful  reasons  to  be  found  in  their 
individual  ambition  and  jealousy  of  each  other. 

The  words  of  Baez  himself  perha])s  give  the  best  idea 


I 


270 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


of  matters  at  this  time.  There  are  documents  in  circula- 
tion proving  that  I wa^  called  back  to  the  country,  in 
which  documents  the  names  of  Cabral,  Pimentel,  Man- 
zueta,  Garcia,  and  others,  almost  all  those  who  appear  in 
the  revolutionary  ranks,  are , prominent.  I have  in  my 
possession  a large  number  of  letters  from  all  the  generals — 
perhaps  one  or  two  may  be  excepted — congratulating  me 
on  my  return,  and  offering  me  their  services. 

Notwithstanding  this,  within  the  five  months  that  I 
have  been  in  power,  I have  had  to  face  as  many  rebellions ; 
and  let  it  not  be  said  that  they  have  been  provoked  by 
measures  taken  by  my  Government,  for  the  first  one  broke 
out  a few  hours  before  I took  the  oath. 

Wearied  with  fighting  against  factions,  and  wishing  to 
prevent  civil  war,  as  soon  as  I had  knowledge  of  the  last 
insurrection  in  the  Cibao,  I sent  General  Pimentel  to  those 
provinces,  but  he  was  not  able  to  fulfil  my  wishes  or  avoid 
bloodshed.  The  people  of  their  own  free  will  preferred  to 
fight,  and  Cibao  is  to-day  the  theatre  of  civil  war,  which 
I behold  with  sorrow,  and  desire  to  stop.  . . . 

You  will  inform  him  (Cabral)  that  I am  by  all  means 
determined  to  leave  the  Presidency  for  a more  capable  or 
more  fortunate  person.” 

Baez,  therefore',  with  some  of  his  adherents,  left  the 
country  and  went  to  Cura^oa,  while  Pimentel,  the  emissary 
of  Baez  to  the  people  of  the  Cibao,  and  who  had  traitorously 
deserted  his  cause,  entered  the  city  of  St  Domingo  with 
Garcia  and  Luperon,  and  in  August  1866  they  formed  a 
triumvirate. 

As  all  these  men  were  Cibaoyens,  it  was  not  long  before 
there  was  a jealous  fear  against  them  in  the  capital,  the 
inhabitants  of  the  south  believing  they  would  remove  the 
capital  to  Santiago ; and  Cabral,  availing  himself  of  this 
feeling,  used  it  to  secure  his  own  election  as  President ; 
but  he  seems  only  to  have  been  made  the  puppet  for  more 
designing  men,  and  the  country  during  his  rule  seems  to 


INAUGURATION  OF  BAEZ, 


271 


have  been  constantly  in  trouble,  and  no  improvements 
made. 

Such  was  the  strait  to  which  matters  were  reduced,  that 
Cabral  endeavoured  to  lease  the  Bay  of  Samana  to  the 
United  States  for  two  millions  of  dollars ; but  as  his 
Grovernment  would  not  give  entire  control  over  it,  the  matter 
fell  through  for  the  time,  until,  in  1868,  Pujol  was  sent  to 
Washington  by  Cabral  to  renew  the  negotiations,  and  it 
was  stated  that  affairs  had  become  so  desperate,  he  must 
offer  Samana  to  the  United  States. 

Baez,  whose  friends  were  then  heading  a movement  to 
overturn  Cabral,  issued  a proclamation  against  this  attempt 
to  transfer  the  soil  of  the  republic;  and  the  reader  curious 
in  such  matters  will  find  in  the  Appendix  three  proclama- 
tions all  under  identically  the  same  heading,  but  showing 
how  ideas  are  likely  to  change  under  various  circumstances. 

In  March  1868  Baez  again  became  President  of  the 
Dominican  republic,  and  the  people  apparently  were  so 
glad  to  welcome  him  back  again,  that  they  offered  to  make 
him  Dictator,  which  very  wisely  he  declined ; but  he  still 
remains  the  President,  evidently  to  the  satisfaction  of  the 
people,  a few  only  of  some  ambitious  leaders  desiring  for 
their  own  purposes  to  throw  the  country  into  a state  of 
revolution. 

Cabral  meanwhile  has  been  constantly  on  the  Haytian 
border,  making  petty  inroads  with  a force  of  all  the  vaga- 
bonds of  the  country,  not  large  enough  to  accomplish 
anything  of  moment,  yet  quite  large  enough  to  keep  a 
peaceful  people  in  a state  of  unrest  and  anxiety. 

Baez,  since  his  new  inauguration,  finding  what  was  the 
unanimous  wish  of  the  people,  seeing  what  were  the  great 
necessities  of  the  island,  has,  I believe,  been  earnest  and 
honest  in  endeavouring  to  bring  about  annexation  to  the 
United  States  ; and  whether  he  is  not  wise  in  this,  I leave 
the  intelligent  reader  to  judge  for  himself  from  the  fore- 
going facts. 

21 


272 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


As  the  Dominican  Secretary  of  State  said  to  me,  St 
Domingo  wants  a strong  Grovernment,  which  we  cannot 
have  so  long  as  she  remains  isolated  and  exposed  to  the 
attacks  of  Hayti  and  the  conspiracies  of  ambitious  chiefs. 
With  annexation  to  the  United  States  we  hope  will  come 
peace,  immigration,  capital,  roads,  and  the  development  of 
all  the  interests  of  the  island.” 

Thus,  with  persecution  and  bloodshed,  and  in  frequent 
revolution,  has  the  present  republic  of  Dominica  been  born. 

It  is  in  theory  a constitutional  republic,  the  government 
of  which  is  divided  into  three  branches,  the  executive,  legis- 
lative, and  judicial. 

The  first  consists  of  a President  and  Vice-president, 
elected  by  an  electoral  college  for  a term  of  six  years,  wdth 
a difference  of  three  years  in  the  time  of  their  election. 
Both  of  these  officers  are  ineligible  to  the  presidency  on 
the  following  terms. 

The  President  appoints  a Council  of  State,  consisting  of 
a minister  of  public  instruction,  of  the  police,  of  the 
interior  and  of  agriculture,  of  public  works  and  commerce, 
and  of  war  and  marine.  On  one  of  these  four  ministers 
the  duties  of  minister  of  foreign  affairs  devolves  at  the  will 
of  the  President. 

The  legislative  branch  of  the  Government  consists  of  a 
Senate  elected  by  the  primary  assemblies,  and  has  two 
members  for  the  city  of  St  Domingo,  two  for  Santiago, 
and  one  for  each  of  the  other  provinces  and  districts — nine 
members  in  all. 

These  hold  office  for  six  years,  and  may  be  re-elected. 

Each  province  and  district  has  a governor,  and  each 
parish  and  military  post  has  a commandant  nominated  by 
the  executive,  and  responsible  to  him. 

The  towns  are  governed  by  ayuntamientos  or  councils, 
elected  by  the  primary  assemblies  for  three  years,  and  are 
constituted  of  as  fine  a body  of  intelligent,  educated  men  as 
can  be  found  in  any  similar  organisation. 


PETTY  LEADERS. 


273 


Each  town  or  commune  also  possesses  an  alcalde,  a sort 
of  justice  of  the  peace,  who  is  appointed  during  good 
behaviour  by  the  President,  and  I am  happy  to  hear  testi- 
mony to  their  high  standing. 

The  laws  are  administered  by  a supreme  court  sitting  at 
the  capital,  and  there  should  be  minor  courts  in  all  the 
different  provinces  or  districts ; hut,  from  the  state  of  affairs 
existing  in  the  island,  these  cannot  be  said  to  be  now 
in  operation. 

One  of  the  greatest  curses  to  which  the  island  is  sub- 
jected is  the  great  number  of  petty  leaders  which  the  fre- 
quent revolutions  have  brought  into  existence.  Many  of 
these  men,  with  no  other  qualification  than  that  of  personal 
bravery,  and  having  a number  of  followers  who  look  upon 
them  as  their  chief,  presume  to  hold  themselves  subject  to 
any  leader  who  will  look  after  their  individual  interests. 

Holding  the  rank  of  general,  the  numbers  of  their  com- 
mand would  not  in  many  cases  amount  to  a corporal’s 
guard;  and  yet  they  receive  pay,  and  wield  a certain 
power,  entirely  disproportionate  to  their  actual  influence 
for  good,  though  for  bad  it  is  incalculable. 

Some  of  these  generals  are  actually  possessed  of  such 
crude  ideas,  that  the  author  was  asked  by  them  what 
would  be  their  rank  in  the  United  States  in  the  event  of 
annexation;  and  he  was  considerably  amused  at  seeing  the 
dubious  expression  that  overcame  their  countenances  when 
told  it  would  be  the  proud  one  of  “ citizen,”  with  perfect 
liberty  to  go  when  and  where  they  would — to  work. 


CHAPTER  XV. 


“Here  trees  for  ever  green  adorn  their  shoots 
At  once  with  blossoms  and  with  ripening  fruits — 
Fruits  that  with  fragrant  nectar  richly  flow; 

Here  all  the  flowers  through  every  season  blow.” 


Journey  Overland — Organising  a Party — Our  Route — Crossing 
the  Ozama — Tropical  Forests — Lu7iching  al  fresco"' — First 
Night  Experiences — La  Tosa — San  Pedro — Natural  Farin — 
Bad  Roads — Apartme?its — The  Country  People — Rough  Ex- 
periences— Grand  Scejiery — Sillon  de  la  Viuda — Serico — Ride 
to  Cotuy. 

ANE  of  the  most  curious  .things  in  connection  with  St 
^ Domingo  is  the  astonishing  ignorance  of  many  inhabi- 
tants in  reference  to  localities  which  thev  have  not  visited. 

. I have  met  men  who  for  years  had  lived  on  the  island  in 
one  place,  who  gave  me  the  most  ridiculous  and  exaggerated 
accounts  of  other  parts,  of  which  they  had  only  heard. 
Thus,  on  the  north  coast,  they  spoke  to  me  of  the  Cibao 
region  and  the  interior  town  of  Santiago  as  though  it  were 
a matter  of  the  greatest  and  almost  insuperable  difficulty  to 
visit  them  : and  the  word  Cibao  ” carries  almost  as  mucli 
mystery  to  the  ears  of  the  modern  traveller  as  it  did  to 
Columbus  when  he  confounded  it  with  Cipango.  When,  at 
St  Domingo  city,  it  was  proposed  to  cross  the  island  by 
land,  people  seemed  to  think  a man  must  be  either  crazy, 
or  that  he  expected  to  derive  some  mysterious  benefit  from 
such  a trip ; and  we  were  mysteriously  told  the  trip  was 
almost  an  impossibility,  and  accompanied  with  unheard-of 
dangers  and  risks.  When  it  became  known  that  one  of 
the  United  States  Commissioners  intended  to  penetrate 


TRIP  TO  THE  NORTH  COAST, 


275 


into  the  interior,  and  ascertain  for  himself  the  opinion  of 
people  there,  heads  were  gravely  shaken,  and  remarks  made 
about  the  safety  of  trusting  himself  amongst  the  people  of 
that  region. 

The  Government  authorities  were,  however,  very  kind  in 
offering  every  assistance,  and  advising  the  trip  to  be  taken  ; 
and  having  made  up  my  mind  individually  to  do  ” the 
island  as  well  as  possible,  I was  only  too  glad  to  accept 
Mr  Commissioner  White’s  invitation  to  join  him  in  his 
trip  across  to  the  north  coast.  A party  was  therefore 
organised,  consisting  of  the  Honourable  Andrew  D.  White, 
United  States  Commissioner,  Professor  W.  M.  Gabb, 
Surveyor  to  the  Geological  Company  of  New  York,  Doctor 
H.  B.  Blackwell,  of  the  Boston  Press ^ and  the  author  of 
these  pages ; and  our  preparations  were  made  in  such  a 
manner  as  would  lead  one  to  think  we  were  about  to  start 
upon  a tour  in  the  prairies. 

Horses  were  fitted  out  with  McClellan  saddles  and  equip- 
ments for  riding,  while  others  were  prepared  with  immense 
straw  panniers  (macutas),  in  which  to  carry  supplies ; 
servants  were  engaged ; while,  almost  of  more  importance, 
strong  canvas  hammocks  were  secured  for  each  of  us. 

Early,  therefore,  on  the  morning  of  the  21st  February, 
our  adieux  having  been  said  the  previous  day,  we  gathered 
at  headquarters,  blankets,  cloaks,  and  umbrellas  straj>ped 
to  our  saddles,  while  our  general  wardrobes  had  been 
bestowed  in  the  smallest  possible  kits  to  place  in  the 
panniers. 

Shades  of  dignified  pompous  officials!  what  would  ye  have 
said  to  have  seen  this  distinguished  emissary  of  a great 
nation  (only  outdone  by  his  followers)  so  lost  to  the  “ con- 
venances ” of  official  position  as  to  wear  his  pants  inside 
his  boots,  a fireman’s  shirt  without  collar  enveloping  his 
person,  while  on  that  head  from  whose  piercing  orbits  were 
to  go  the  rays  that  should  carry  yea  or  nay  to  this  aspiring 
island,  was  placed  a most  undignified,  natty-looking,  but 
f)erfectly  comfortable  “ wideawake  ”? 


276 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


The  guerilla  appearance  of  the  rest  of  the  party,  however, 
was  redeemed  by  the  eminently  respectable  appearance  of 
the  venerable-looking  Doctor.” 

Blit,  vamous  sehores we  are  now  out  over  the  hills  of 
San  Carlos,  where  we  stopped  for  a few  minutes  to  organise 
more  perfectly  our  cavalcade,  and  from  which  old  village 
we  had  our  last  view  of  St  Domingo  city. 

A beautiful  sight  indeed  on  this  fresh,  bright  morning 
in  February,  with  the  atmosphere  as  clear  as  ether,  the  sky 
as  blue  as  cobalt ; and  there  at  our  feet  the  historic,  sleepy 
old  town,  its  moss-covered  walls  and  vine-clad  towers,  with 
the  graceful  palms  shooting  up  from  walled  courtyards, 
making  a strange,  yet  beautiful  and  interesting  picture,  to 
which  the  bright  blue  sea,. with  its  foam-crested  waves, 
formed  a sparkling,  spirited  background. 

Putting  spurs  to  our  horses,  we  soon  got  over  the  inter- 
vening four  miles  that  separated  us  from  the  ferry  by  which 
we  were  to  cross  the  Isabella,  an  arm  of  the  Ozama,  the 
river  upon  which  St  Domingo  city  is  located. 

The  road  up  to  this  point  had  been  fair  enough,  running 
through  ordinary  rolling  land,  tolerably  well  settled  with 
the  small  huts  of  the  negro  or  the  better  one  of  the  white 
inhabitant ; the  land  being  chiefly  covered  with  scrubby 
vegetation,  groups  of  palms,  and  the  platano  ” plantations, 
upon  the  products  of  which  the  inhabitants  principally  rely 
fot  meat,  bread,  and  vegetables.  This,  being  a coarse  kind  of 
banana,  with  a dry,  mealy  flesh,  is  either  boiled  or  roasted. 

Our  flrst  arrival  at  the  ferry  seemed  to  make  no  impres- 
sion on  the  negro  boatmen  on  the  other  side,  for  they  appeared 
in  no  hurry  to  bring  their  flat  boat  to  our  assistance,  until 
the  energetic  cussing”  of  the  Professor,  accompanied  by 
the  waving  of  an  official  document  and  the  shout  of  official 
service,”  served  to  startle  them  into  coming  over  for  us — 
the  ferry-boat  being  a huge  flat  boat,  and  the  machinery 
the  ferr}^-rope.  The  river  here  was  more  than  flfty  yards 
wide,  perfectly  clear,  running  swiftly  between  low  marshy 
banks ; but  immediately  after  crossing,  we  made  a steep 


CAMPIXG-OUI 


T 


277 


ascent  up  a muddy,  rough  path  to  higher  land,  where, 
striking  the  main  road,  we  continued  our  journey,  our  way 
being  almost  continually  through  the  woods,  which,  though 
interesting  to  us  from  the  strange  appearance  of  plants  and 
trees,  it  would  not  be  so  to  describe.  We  were  glad,  there- 
fore, when,  at  noon,  the  sun  being  hot  enough  even  to 


Crossing  the  Isabelhv 


penetrate  tlie  thick  foliage  on  the  road,  the  announcement 
was  made  of  our  mid-day  resting-place. 

This  was  upon  the  banks  of  a small  fresh-water  stream, 
known  as  El  Yuco,”  whose  limpid  waters  furnished  us 
the  fluid  for  some  cold  rum-punch,  concocted*  of  the  sour 
orange  (naranja  agria),  picked  from  overhanging  trees,  the 
juice  of  which,  incorporated  with  some  native  (Dominican) 
rum,  made  a most  capital  punch.  This  was  our  first  camp- 
ing-out experience  ; and,  if  the  party  is  to  be  believed,  no 
such  repast  had  been  ever  enjoyed  before  as  was  this 
frugal  meal  of  sardine  ” sandwiches  and  cold  punch. 

The  propriety,  however,  was  suggested  to  ^Ir  White,  of 
trying  some  of  that  champagne  that  had  been,  according 


278 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


to  the  newspapers,  so  liberally  furnished  among  the  Com- 
missioners’ supplies,  and  which  would  serve  to  lighten  our 
loads  in  more  senses  than  one ; hut  we  were  informed  he 
had  seen  none  of  it;  and  Lam  sadly  compelled  to  acknow- 
ledge there  was  none  on  this  trip. 

To  complete  our  grandeur,  we  were  supplied  with  music 
by  a peripatetic  musician,  who,  with  a com})anion,  happened 

to  come  up  while  we  were 
lunching,  and  who,  in  re- 
turn for  hospitality  ex- 
tended them,  favoured  us 
with  some  music  (?)  from 
a huge  guitar  he  carried, 
and  which,  being  the  only 
baggage  he  had,  enabled 
him  to  travel  from  the  one 
end  of  the  island  to  the 
other  without  difficulty. 

Being  recuperated,  we 
were  again  on  horseback, 
picking  our  way  through 
the  muddy  road  of  the  forest,  in  which,  from  time  to 
time,  our  ears  were  saluted  by  sharp  reports  as  though  of 

pistol  - firin g ; 
these  came,  how- 
ever, from  the 


Hilusiciau. 


higuero. 


as 

we  call  it,  the 
“sand-box”  tree, 
the  fruit  of  which 
resembles  some- 
what that  article, 
being  a tomato- 


shaped corrugated 
fruit,  which,  be- 
coming dry,  is,  by  the  heat  of  the  sun,  caused  to  explode. 


Sand-box  Fruit. 


NATURAL  FARM. 


279 


These  explosions  take  place  only  at  mid-day,  when  the 
sun  is  intensely  hot ; and  their  reports  are  at  times  quite 
startling. 

After  some  miles  of  riding  we  came  out  into  the  open,  upon 
beautiful  savannas,  which,  though  somewhat  more  rolling, 
yet  bear  the  generic  name  of  Llanos  ” or  prairies ; and 
which  would  seem  to  have  been  thrown  here  by  nature  as 
natural  farms,  for  the  land  was  of  the  very  best  deep  black 
soil,  covered  with  long,  rich  grass  ; while  here  and  there 
were  belts  of  timber. 


A Natural  Farm. 

The  country  reminded  me  much  of  the  Minnesota 
bottom  lands,  except  that  here  the  horizon  was  bounded  by 
l)eautifiil  views  of  cloud-capped  mountains,  to  whose  very 
feet  rolled  these  magnificent  plains,  all  ready  for  the  hand 
of  the  husbandman.  As  evening  was  now  drawing  on,  it 
was  deemed  advisable  to  select  a place  to  rest  for  the 
night,  ])articiilarly  its  some  of  our  i>arty,  not  being  accus- 
tomi‘(l  to  horseback  riding,  might  siifier  fmm  a first  ride  of 
twenty  miles,  and  especially  over  such  roads  as  we  had  had. 


280 


SJLNTO  DOMINGO. 


This  we  did,  stopping  at  La  Tosa,  as  the  estancia 
(farm)  was  called,  being  a simple  negro-house,  with  one 
or  two  out-buildings,  all  constructed  in  the  rudest  manner, 
the  farm  occupying  a little  knoll  in  one  of  the  above  savan- 
nas, while  back  of  it  was  a belt  of  timber,  through  which 
. was  a small  stream  of  clear  water.  As  we  had  ridden  on 
quite  rapidly,  we  had  to  await  the  arrival  of  our  pack-horses, 
pending  which  all  hands  laid  themselves  out  for  a siesta 
upon  the  blankets  and  ponchos  we  spread  upon  the  ground, 
and  we  were  soon  oblivious,  even  of  the  calls  of  hunger, 
until  the  noise  made  by  the  arrival  of  the  train  awakened 
us  to  the  fact  that  it  was  the  hour  for  supper,  which  meal 
with  us,  on  our  journey,  usually  meant  dinner  too. 

Alas ! for  all  human  hope,  our  joy  at  the  arrival  of  our 
train  soon  was  turned  to  grief,  for  one  of  the  stupid  brutes, 
not  knowing  the  valuable  nature  of  a part  of  his  cargo, 
attempted,  while  the  panniers  were  still  upon  him,  to  refresh 
himself  with  a roll  on  the  grass,  whereupon,  the  large  glass 
demijohn  that  contained  our  entire  supply  of  rum  was 
utterly  smashed,  and  that  precious  fluid  escaped.  Our  grief 
was  great,  and  we  were  only  restored  to  good-humour  by 
the  indignant  manner  of  Simon,  who  had  just  arrived  with 
the  balance  of  the  train,  being  gravely  told  by  the  Pro- 
fessor ” that  his  horse  was  so  tired  he  had  been  stood  up 
against  the  house,  but  unfortunately  had  lost  his  balance 
and  fallen  over. 

Simon,  our  muleteer,  never  liked  to  have  any  remarks 
passed  upon  the  quality  of  the  horses  he  furnished  us, 
though,  in  truth,  they  were  none  of  the  best. 

However,  the  Professor  and  I,  being  old  campaigners, 
soon  had  our  preparations  made,  with  the  assistance  of 
“ Francisco,”  for  the  disposal  of  the  various  edibles  we  had 
extracted  from  our  cans  of  preserved  vegetables  and  meat, 
and  such  was  the  effect,  that  uo  sooner  was  supper  ended 
than  some  of  the  party  immediately  took  to  their  ham- 
mocks for  rest,  which,  in  the  case  of  the  Commissioner,  was 


HAMMOCKS. 


281 


soon  consummated  by  sound  slumber,  in  spite  of  the  trifling 
inconveniences  of  hat,  clothes,  and  boots. 

Have  you  ever  swung  in  a hammock,  dear  reader  ? If  not, 
I assure  you  there  is  a new  sensation  in  store  for  you.  In 
St  Domingo  it  is  as  much  a part  of  the  republic  as  the 
people  themselves. 

Those  we  had  were  made  of  stout  canvas  about  six  feet 
long  and  five  wide  ; at  each  end  are  a number  of  cords  at 
regular  intervals,  which,  fastened  thus  to  the  hammock  at 
one  end,  are  united  in  a huge  knot  at  the  other,  and  to 
this  a strong  cord  being  attached,  the  hammock  can  be 
slung  to  a beam  or  attached  to  a ring  in  the  wall,  and 
thus  be  suspended  in  the  air  like  a huge  bag.  It  is  a 
great  institution,  and  I believe  has  been  introduced  since 
into  the  States  by  every  member  of  the  party. 

Our  first  night  was  troubled  with  those  pests  the  fleas, 
and  they  had  even  no  respect  for  the  august  body  of  the 
“Commissioner;”  for  that  high  priest  of  Cornell  was 
discovered  late  in  the  evening  filling  his  shirt  with  pul- 
verised camphor,  said  to  be  a sure  preventive. 

The  Professor  and  I,  protected  by  the  clouds  of  smoke 
emitted  by  our  pipes,  and  in  which  we  had  indulged  while 
trying  to  restrain  the  Doctor  from  some  fearful  witticisms, 
fared  rather  better  ; but,  notwithstanding  these  little  in- 
conveniences, including  the  advent  of  a stray  dog  into  the 
hut  in  search  of  some  friendly  bone,  we  all  managed  to 
get  a good  night’s  rest  in  this  our  first  night’s  camping- 
out  in  St  Domingo. 

Tlie  day  was  yet  young  when  we  turned  out  of  our  bags, 
the  Doctor  and  I going  down  to  a neighbouring  brook  to 
be  invigorated  by  a bath  in  the  cool  waters  of  a limpid 
stream. 

The  dew  lay  heavy  on  the  luxuriant  grass ; and  as  we 
passed  through  the  woods,  the  air  ^was  fragrant  with  the 
odour  of  the  rich  vegetation,  while  the  oranges  in  large 
numbers  hung  with  their  golden  cheeks  wet  with  the 


282 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


morning  dew.  The  air,  too,  was  quite  fresh  and  bracing, 
as  it  nearly  always  is  in  this  island  of  an  early  morning. 

Selecting  a little  spot  in  the  stream  formed  into  a 
natural  pool,  we  enjoyed  the  clear,  cool  freshness  of  the 
water,  which  a short  distance  above  us  came  bubbling 
over  mossy  rocks ; in  fact,  the  whole  scene  might  have 
' passed  for  some  little  bit  in  the  Adirondacks,  had  it 
not  been  that  an  immense  tree  fallen  across  the  stream 
was  covered  with  the  parasites  and  plants  peculiar  only  to 
the  tropics. 

Meanwhile  the  Commissioner,  as  became  his  custom  on 
the  journey,  had  called  the  family  and  some  neighbours 
together,  and  extracted  from  them  their  views  about 
annexation,  and  the  condition  of  the  people  in  the 
vicinity. 

The  master  of  the  house  was  a fair  type  of  the  people 

who  are  pretty  generally 
scattered  throughout  the 
island  as  the  country  people 
(paisanos),  and  who  con- 
stitute pretty  much  the 
agricultural  class.  Those 
of  a lighter  colour,  or 
white,  are  more  apt  to  be 
found  as  hateros  or  herds 
men,  raising  cattle,  and 
are  a brighter,  more  intel- 
ligent class. 

This  old  negro  had  a 
wife  and  two  grown-up 
sons,  and  lived  on  a farm 
of  about  200  acres,  the 
^ only  building  of  any 
account  upon  it  being  this 
Old  Negro.  dwelling,  which  was  one 

of  the  simple  palm-houses  of  the  country,  containing  only 


PARASITES. — A ST.  DOMINGO  BROOK. 


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OZAMA  RIVER, 


283 


two  rooms.  He  raised  a few  cattle  and  grew  some  cane, 
coffee,  and  a few  fruits,  without  much  trouble,  and  without 
the  slightest  system  in  his  labours. 

Upon  asking  him  why,  with  so  much  land  and  such 
apparently  comfortable  means,  he  did  not  have  a house 
and  a garden,  and  improve  his  place,  he  told  the  same 
story  we  had  so  often  heard  of  revolutions,  and  raids,  and 
forcible  enlistments.  He  stated,  also,  he  had  previously  had 
a fine  house,  and  had  the  means  to  build  one  now,  but 
that  he  with  the  rest  of  the  people  were  discouraged  by 
the  unsettled  future. 

His  sons  seemed  to  be  willing  enough  to  work  at  $6 
per  month,  and  spoke  with  some  interest  about  the  possi- 
bility of  a road  being  made  that  would  require  the  labour 
of  the  young  men.  But  I am  afraid,  in  long  contracts,  the 
‘‘  dias  de  fiesta'’  would  either  interfere  with  the  work,  or 
else  the  principles  of  the  labourers  would  have  to  suffer. 

In  the  saddle  again,  we  rode  for  some  eight  miles  over 
some  superb  rolling  prairies,  capable  of  being  made  into 
the  finest  sugar-plantations.  The  day,  clear  and  bright, 
fairly  sparkled  with  the  purity  of  the  atmosphere — an 
every-day  occurrence  here,  however,  except  in  the  rainy 
season  of  May  and  following  months. 

Again  we  struck  the  Ozama  river,  the  same  that  we  had 
left  deep  and  dark  at  St  Domingo  city,  but  here  swiftly 
rushing  along  over  its  gravelly  bed,  its  waters  clear  as 
crystal,  tempting  the  wearied  horseman  as  he  fords  it  by 
its  cool,  refreshing  look  and  taste. 

Riding  through  this  valley  of  the  Ozama,  we  find  the 
country  almost  entirely  unsettled,  although  the  land  can 
be  had  for  the  asking  ; but  the  })opulation  is  sparse,  and 
rarely  do  we  see  a house,  though  a rough  wooden  cross  stuck 
up  at  the  side  of  some  hardly  discernible  path  tells  the 
wearied  traveller  that,  on  following  the  trail,  a hal)itation 
of  some  kind  will  be  found,  it  may  be  a few  yards  or  a 
mile  away. 


284 


SANTO  DOMINGO, 


Traversing  now  a heavily -wooded  country,  through 
which  the  merest  apology  for  a road  is  found  in  the  simple 
clearing  out  of  the  underbrush  and  the  cutting  down  of 
the  trees  that  may  happen  to  stand  in  the  direct  line,  we 
came  out  upon  a level  tract  or  savanna  known  as  La 
Luisa,  which,  covered  with  long  tall  grass,  is  similar  to 
some  of  our  Illinois  prairies,  though  much  more  beautiful 
and  diversified,  and  upon  the  surface  of  which  lies  here 
and  there  the  water  which,  from  frequent  rains,  is  so  abun- 
dant all  through  tliis  part  of  the  island. 

Exactly  such  savannas  I have  seen  in  Cuba  turned  into 


splendid  sugar  estates,  the  land  ditched  and  dry,  while 
the  water  was  carried  into  well-constructed  reservoirs  or 
conducted  to  the  mills. 

Although  a tropical  shower  was  passing  over  our  heads, 
we  were  more  tempted  by  the  umbrageous  shelter  afforded 
by  the  foliage  and  branches  of  a noble  mango-tree  than 
that  of  a dilapidated  native  hut,  at  whose  principal  and  door- 
less aperture  stood,  in  the  most  indolent  of  positions,  its 
lazy  proprietor,  who,  with  ample  leisure,  would,  it  appears. 


A Native  Hut. 


NATIVE  HUT. 


285 


esteem  it  lost  time  to  repair  his  roof,  although  the  material 
was  at  hand ; and  yet  a site  and  land  for  which  many  of 
our  people  would  give  thousands,  even  the  wretchedness 
of  the  cabin  adding  to  the  picturesqueness  of  the  scene, 
for  behind  it  waved  the  graceful  palm  and  cocoa  trees, 
with  the  broad-leaved  banana,  that  gives  such  richness  to 
all  this  tropical  scenery,  while  furnishing  the  principal 
sustenance  of  the  people. 

“What’s  the  use? ’’the  owner  replies  to  my  question 
why  he  don’t  put  things  in  order;  “ it  would  only  be  ruined 
in  the  next  revolution.” 

Our  noonday  siesta  finished,  a short  ride  brought  us  to 
our  resting-place  for  the  night,  the  habitation  of  one  Jose 
Gervase,  at  San  Pedro,  who  received  us  in  the  most  hospi- 
table manner,  placing  at  our  disposal  “ apartments  ” for 
the  night. 

As  we  rode  up,  the  women  were*  working  underneath  a 
thatched  roof,  which  had  only  a few  stout  poles  to  sup- 
port it,  being  otherwise  entirely  open ; and  this  was  the 
continuation  of  the  hut  or  house  proper  in  which  the 
family  lived. 

Our  hammocks  were  soon  slung  under  this  roof,  as  there 
were  always  some  of  the  party  ready  for  a swing  in  this 
most  fascinating  of  resting-places.  It  being  Washington’s 
birthday,  it  was  determined  to  celebrate  it  by  a grand 
dinner ^2i'&  fitting  to  the  representative  of  the  Great  Republic ; 
with  what  success  may  be  imagined,  when  I mention  that 
the  menu  was  in  accordance  with  our  service  of  (tin) 
plate,  and  the  “ omelette  au-ron  ” a success. 

I will  say  nothing  of  the  speeches,  owing  to  the  fact  that 
what  would  have  proved  the  “event”  of  the  evening  was 
slightly  marred  in  its  solemn  effects  by  the  advent  of  a 
friendly  pig  between  the  legs  of  the  speaker. 

But  I think  the  American  people  would  certainly  have 
been  amused,  if  not  astonished,  at  seeing  the  perfectly 
republican  simplicity  of  its  rej)resentatives,  as  they  sat  on 
22 


286 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


upturned  barrels  or  ends  of  logs,  looking  like  a lot  of 
guerillas  in  bivouac. 

In  the  midst  of  our  hilarity  came  the  vesper-hour,  and 
immediately  our  host  and  his  family  fell  to  their  prayers  and 
evening  hymn,  with  such  evident  earnestness,  that,  though 
we  had,  out  of  respect,  immediately  uncovered,  we  yet, 
moved  by  such  evidence  of  simple  but  honest  piety,  bowed 
our  heads  in  reverence  also. 

Although  sleeping  in  the  open  air,  our  slumbers  were  of 


Apartments. 


the  soundest,  and  the  sun  was  well  up  when  we  were  stir- 
ring about,  awaiting  our  chocolate  before  starting,  during 
the  preparation  of  which  much  information  was  elicited 
from  the  people ; and  it  was  with  a hearty  Happy  journey 
and  God  be  with  you,  senores  ! ” from  the  master,  that  we 
took  our  departure. 

Five  miles  riding  brought  us  to  the  foot  of  the  mountain 
range  bearing  the  general  name  of  Cordillera,  which, 
towering  up  here  into  an  altitude  of  some  3000  feet  high, 
bears  the  euphonious  appellation  of  “ Sillon  de  la  Viuda  ” 


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VIEW  FROM  StLLON  DE  LA  VIUDA. 


“r/z>oir*s  pass:’ 


287 


(Widow’s  Saddle),  to  the  south  of  which  are  the  sources  of 
the  Ozaroa  river. 

Over  grassy  slopes  and  rough  defiles  of  now  hard  clay, 
except  where  here  and  there  some  mountain  stream  trick- 
ling down  keeps  the  path  moist;  up  wooded  hills,  upon 
which  are  seen  every  form  of  parasite,  whether  in  its 
incipient  form  of  a mere  bundle  of  grass  upon  the  branch 
of  some  tree,  hanging  in  strange  woody  ropes  or  graceful 
festoons,  or  framed  into  sturdy  many-trunked  trees,  we 
ride ; now  holding  hard  with  knee  and  braced-in  stirrup,  or 
almost  embracing  the  horse’s  neck,  one  hand  firmly  grasp- 
ing a lock  of  the  mane  to  prevent  sliding  back,  we  gain 
the  mountain  top,  where,  dismounting,  we  fasten  our 
horses,  and  then  pushing  our  way  through  the  bushes,  we 
come  out  upon  an  abrupt,  sharp  point  upon  the  very  ridge. 

And  this  w^as  the  ‘‘  Widow’s  Pass,”  and  there  the  great 
mountain  heart  of  the  island,  with  the  towering  Yaqui  peak 
soft  and  distant ! 

What  a sight  was  then  laid  out  before  us,  unrolled  like 
some  huge  topographical  map,  only  with  every  point  marked 
in  bold  relief  by  Nature’s  own  hand,  so  there  could  be  no 
mistake  about  hill  or  dale,  mountain  or  valley. 

Steep  down  rose  the  extreme  points  and  tops  of  the 
trees  of  the  mountain  below  us ; beyond  that  a high  moun- 
tain slope,  and  then  descending  slopes,  and  valleys  covered 
with  forest,  wdth  now  and  then  a bright  brown  patch  of 
the  savanna  land ; while  in  the  distance  rolls  back  into 
liazy  eternity  the  dark-blue  hills  in  various  shades  of  indigo, 
blue,  cobalt,  and,  where  the  morning  sun  glints  on  them, 
the  most  delicate  violet  tints,  the  tops  of  the  highest  hid 
away  in  cottony  clouds.  But  words  fail  to  paint  a scene  like 
this,  where  even  the  pencil  cannot  portray  its  beauties, 
needing,  as  it  does,  the  colouring  of  a Church  or  a Bierstadt. 

This  pass  is  a defile  so  narrow,  separating  tlie  north  from 
the  soutli  so  effectually,  that  a handful  of  men  might  dis- 
pute the  passage  with  an  array. 


288 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


Here  the  Spaniards,  in  early  days,  offered  to  make  a 
stand  against  Dessalines,  when  he  attacked  their  lines  to 
drive  out  the  French ; but  the  latter  had  no  faith,  and 
would  not  trust  them  with  arms,  else  that  desolating  march 
might  have  been  prevented. 

Descending  the  mountain,  we  reach  a stream  of  clear 
running  water,  into  which  the  Doctor  and  I,  warm  and 
muddy,  rushed  to  get  our  baths,  the  first  we  have  had  in 
what  might  be  called  a St  Domingo  stream.  Mr  White, 
although  envying  us  our  enjoyment,  declined  bathing,  from 
the  fact  that  Admiral  Porter  had  cautioned  him  against 


Sensitive  Plant. 


bathing  in  these  streams.  Many  of  the  authorities  of  the 
island  give  this  advice  also,  and,  perhaps,  under  certain 
circumstances,  of  hot  sun  or  heated  body,  it  would  not  be 
wise  to  enter  the  almost  ice-cold  water ; but  our  experience 
has  taught ‘us  (including  since  the  Commissioner),  that 
when  the  clothes  are  slowly  removed,  and  the  body  cooled 
before  going  into  the  water,  no  evil  results  are  experienced. 
On  the  contrary,  in  the  early  morning  we  have  found  great 
benefit  from  it,  to  say  nothing  of  the  immense  refreshment 
of  such  a bath  after  a long  day’s  ride. 

Very  pleasant  enjoyment  it  is  to  thus  pull  up  at  mid-day 
and  enjoy  even  the  frugal  meal  that  may  be  called  lunch, 


BAD  ROADS. 


289 


breakfast,  or  dinner,  when,  spreading  a poncho  upon  the 
righ  herbage,  a siesta  forms  a pleasant  finale  to  the  lazy 
toying  with  that  wondrous  creation  of  Nature,  the  sensitive 
plant,  whose  tender  petals  seem  to  fold  themselves  up  even 
at  the  breath  of  man. 

Our  afternoon  journey  of  this  day  was  not  soon  to  be 
forgotten,  for  we  all  had  deep  experience  of  St  Domingo 
mud  on  the  roads,  which  were  almost  impassable. 

The  Professor  led  the  way  through  one  quagmire ; but 
the  author,  coming  next,  turned  a little  aside,  and  in  went 
his  horse  up  to  the  girths  in  sticky,  pasty  mud.  Spurrings 
and  lashings,  answered  by  wild  efforts  on  the  part  of  the 
horse  to  extricate  himself,  only  served  to  fix  them  deeper 
in  the  ditch,  until  the  horse,  infuriated  and  frightened, 

seemed  readv  to  fall  over  on  his  rider. 

«/ 

Jump  for  it!”  shouted  the  Professor;  and  jump  I did, 
plump  over  my  heavy  boot-tops  into  the  mud ; but  throwing 
myself  forward  to  the  solid  ground  with  the  reins  still  in 
hand,  succeeded,  with  whip  and  shouts,  in  pulling  my  now 
unburdened  horse  through  to  terra  Jirma,  where  he  stood 
trembling  like  an  aspen,  the  only  question  between  us 
being  which  was  the  muddiest. 

The  Commissioner  and  the  Doctor,  profiting  by  my  sad 
example,  wisely  made  a detour  through  a short  bypath  in 
the  woods,  and  came  through  without  mishap  ; but  we 
were  all  glad  enough  when  the  Professor  turned  aside  into 
the  very  bed  of  a stream  in  preference  to  taking  the  road, 
and  following  up  its  course,  we  had  sure,  gravelly  bottom, 
even  if  it  was  at  the  cost  of  being  occasionally  splashed 
with  pure  water.  That  wild,  strange  scene  I think  none 
of  us  will  ever  forget,  as,  pursuing  our  way,  we  rode  through 
a narrow  bottom-land,  in  the  centre  of  which  was  the  little 
stream,  over  which  and  our  heads  w'ould  sometimes  meet 
and  entwine  so  thickly  the  branches  and  foliage  of  the  trees 
on  its  banks,  that  sunlight  was  entirely  excluded  ; and  then 
through  openings  in  the  bushes  we  caught  a view  of  groups 


290 


SAXTO  DOMIXGO. 


of  palms  and  other  strange  trees  in  the  meadow,  while 
rising  directly  behind  them  were  the  hills  covered  with 
the  gigantic  forest  trees,  over  which  had  grown  the  most 
dense  and  graceful  hanging  canopies  of  the  morning  glory, 
making  a scene  in  which  it  would  appear  that  Nature  her- 
self had  draped  and  festooned  the  sides  in  honour  of  the 
representative  of  progress  embodied  in  the  modest  person 
of  Commissioner  White. 

At  last  we  strike  the  road  again,  and  then  bursting  out 


Royal  Plain. 


from  the  timber  upon  the  open  ground,  we  get  our  first 
view  of  a part  of  the  far-famed  Yega  Royal  (Royal  Plain). 
It  appears  that  the  name  ^^Yega  Real”  was  given  by 
Columbus  himself  originally  only  to  the  level  country 
lying  between  Samana  and  Monte  Cristo ; but  as  new 


VEGA  REAL. 


291 


villages  sprang  up,  the  word  in  its  meaning  became  more 
contracted,  being  applied  to  the  land  at  or  near  the  place 
called  La  Yega.  Now  it  means  all  that  level  tract  lying 
between  the  Monte  Cristo  range  and  the  Cibao  or  Cordillera 
ranges  of  mountains,  extending  west  from  Samana  to  the 
Havtian  frontier,  near  Monte  Cristo. 

In  this  immense  valley  are  comprised  the  best  agricultural 
lands  and  the  principal  towns  of  the  island,  including 
Cotuy,  Macoris,  La  Yega,  Mocha,  Santiago  de  los  Cabal- 
leros, Guayubin,  and  Monte  Cristo,  and  though  there  is 
abundant  tableland,  it  must  not  be  imagined  it  is  all  flat 
prairie  soil,  for  even  many  of  the  prairies  are  very  rolling 
in  their  nature,  while  ranges  of  hills  break  up  the  level  at 
various  points.  But  here  to-day  in  the  Yega,”  in  the 

Cibao,”  as  it  is  indiscriminately  called,  is  the  principal 
agricultural  wealth  of  the  island ; and  though  thus  far  on 
our  journey  we  had  met  with  few  houses,  we  began  to  And, 
as  we  approached  the  region  where  the  character  of  the 
country  changed  so  much,  more  signs  of  cultivation  and 
habitation. 

We  had  some  peculiar  experiences  of  the  weather  of  this 
island,  for  though  the  day  was  bright,  we  were  constantly 
subjected  to  a series  of  showers,  none  of  which  lasted  over  ten 
minutes,  and  then  it  would  be  perfectly  clear,  until  we  really 
all  became  tired  of  being  fooled  so  often,  and  vowed  neither 
umbrella  should  be  hoisted  nor  poncho  put  away.  In  one 
of  these  pleasant  showers  the  temptation  of  making  a pic- 
ture of  the  Commissioner  was  too  great  to  be  resisted,  and  it 
was  deemed  so  characteristic,  that  I promised  it  should  form 
the  subject  of  my  dedication  page.  Crossing  a number  of 
savannas,  we  reached  at  length  the  banks  of  the  Cevico 
river  or  creek,  which  we  quickly  forded,  and  rode  through 
a grassy,  green  avenue  lined  with  palm,  cocoa,  and  banana 
trees,  into  the  village  of  the  same  name,  where  we  put  uj) 
in  the  usual  fashion  at  the  hut  of  a negro  citizen.  Cevico 
is  simply  a congregation  of  thatched  liuts  around  an  open 


292 


SAXTO  DOMIXGO. 


space  called  a plaza , and  the  statistics  of  the  town  are 
complete  when  I state  there  are  fifteen  houses  and  seventy- 
five  people. 

We  were  received,  however,  by  quite  an  historical  old 

personage,  Severino  Gon- 
zalez byname,  who,  alight- 
coloured  mulatto,  and  now 
eighty-nine  years  of  age, 
had  been  a captain  in  the 
army  of  the  celebrated 
Dessalines. 

But  his  manner  of 
receiving  us  at  his  door 
was  simply  superb,  and 
would  have  befitted  a 
prince  showing  us  into  a 
splendid  palace,  instead 
of  the  humble  earth- 
floored,  thatch-covered  hut 
of  which  he  was  the  owner. 
With  his  blanket  wrapped 
about  him  in  Roman  toga- 
like folds,  he,  with  quiet 
dignity  and  a magnificent 
wave  of  his  hand,  said,  My  house  is  at  your  disposition, 
senores.”  My  regret  was  only  equalled  by  my  chagrin  when, 
after  pouring  out  my  thanks  in  my  best  Spanish,  the  Pro- 
fessor slyly  said  to  me,  in  homely  but  forcible  phrase — 
Dry  up,  old  fellow;  he ’s  as  deaf  as  a post.” 

In  this  house  we  found  the  family  principally  consisted 
of  females,  the  daughters  of  the  most  opposite  coloured 
complexions  ; for  while  one  was  black  as  ink,  possessing 
withal  a graceful  figure,  the  other  was  one  of  the  finest- 
looking  yellow  women  I had  seen,  with  straight  hair  and 
superb  black  eyes,  her  form  answering  in  its  proportions 
and  grace  to  a sculptor’s  model. 


Severino  Gonzalez. 


THE  “ COMMA NDAHTET 


293 


Orders  were  immediately  given  to  gather  the  people  of 
the  village  together  before  our  departure  in  the  morn- 
ing, in  order  that  the  Commissioner  might  hear  their 
views. 

Bright  and  early,  therefore,  next  day  came  a perfectly 
black  negro  with  more  clothes  on  than  most  of  those  we 


had  seen. 

He  informed  the  Commissioner  that  he  was  the  Com- 
mandante,”  and  leaving  that  gentleman  to  digest  the  in- 
formation, be  retired  to  an  inner  room  with  the  afore- 
mentioned good-looking  young  woman ; and  after  some 
time  had  elapsed,  reappeared  in  a clean  suit  of  clothes,  a 
Colt’s  revolver  in  his 
belt,  and  a brown 
felt  hat  bound  in 
white  on  his  head, 
the  whole  suit  form- 
ing a happy  contrast 
to  his  dusky  face, 
which,  I must  say, 
gave  one  the  impres- 
sion that  he  would 
willingly  ‘‘  knife  ” 
vou  for  a ten -cent 
piece.  Seating  him- 
self in  a hammock, 
he  in  an  extremely 

The  “ Commandante.” 

consequential  man- 
ner was  proceeding  to  give  us  an  idea  of  his  great  impor- 
tance, when  he  was  abruptly  cut  short,  and  told  to  allow 
the  people  to  come  in,  as  the  Commissioner  wished  to  see 
them,  and  not  the  dignitaries. 

A number  of  all  classes  then  came  in,  to  whom  j\Ir 
White  made  an  address,  and  they  showed  themselves  very 
enthusiastic  at  the  idea  of  having  perpetual  peace  given 
them,  some  being  affected  even  to  tears ; and  it  was  with 


294 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


hearty  God  speed  you!”  that  we  took  our  departure  as 
soon  as  the  interview  was  over. 

We  had  fourteen  miles  of  the  roughest  riding  to  do 
that  I have  ever  seen  in  my  life  before  we  reached  Cotuy, 
over  roads  that  were  not  roads,  up  steep  slippery  banks  ol‘ 
clay,  and  down  rocky  declivities  that  in  places  were  so 
narrow,  and  gave  such  dangerous  footing,  that  we  were 
compelled  to  dismount  and  whip  our  horses  down,  picking 
our  own  way  by  holding  to  branch  and  bush  with  our 
hands,  while  our  feet  were  constantly  treading  air.  Well 
may  every  one  exclaim  and  pray,  Give  us  roads  ! ” to 
which  we  say  ‘‘  Amen  I ” most  heartily. 

A sorry  figure  we  cut,  as,  nearing  Cotuy,  we  were 
met  by  the  Commandant,  a very  black  darky,  who,  in 
spotless  linen  suit,  put  us  quite  to  the  blush  for  our 
mud  and  travel- stained  appearance.  However,  we  were 
escorted  into  Cotuy  to  the  house  of  the  alcalde,  who 
had  prepared  for  Mr  White’s  party — Mr  Gautier,  the 
Secretary  of  State  having,  we  found,  sent  a courier  on 
in  advance  to  advise  the  authorities  of  his  needing 
care  and  quarters.  This  house  was  an  humble  affair, 
though  as  good  as  there  was  in  the  village,  it  being  simply 
of  one  story,  divided  into  three  parts,  with  a thatched 
roof ; these  three  parts  formed  the  rooms,  the  one  on 
the  left  being  that  in  which  the  alcalde  held  his  court, 
the  centre  being  the  living-room,  while  the  third  part 
was  redivided  into  two  small  rooms,  one  the  shoemaking 
shop  of  his  son,  the  other  a bedroom  appropriated  to  Mr 
White’s  use. 

As  we  had  left  Cevico  at  early  morning  without  any 
breakfast  except  a cup  of  coffee  and  a roasted  plantain,  we 
were  nearly  famished  on  arriving  at  the  alcalde’s,  and  a 
suggestion  was  made  that  he  should  give  us  something  to 
satisfy  us  while  our  people  prepared  a more  substantial 
meal.  Bless  the  dear  old  man’s  heart ! In  a twinkling 
we  had  a dish  of  fried  eggs  with  onion  and  garlic  seasoning. 


SANTO  DOMINGO, 


295 


served  in  cassava  bread,  moistened  with  warm  water,  and 
a dish  of  rice.  Bread  we  had  not,  there  being  none  in  the 
town ; but  do  you  think,  lector  mio^  we  held  back  on  that 
account?  No,  sir  ! to  use' a homely  but  apt  phrase,  “ we 
went  through  ” those  dishes,  and  I had  the  satisfaction  of 
helping  the  august  Commissioner  himself  to  the  last  egg. 
Ye  pampered  officials  at  home  ! think  how  your  devoted 
servants  suffer  in  a strange  land. 

Seriously,  however,  four  days  roughing  it  in  Sr 
Domingo  mud,  woods,  and  roads,  had  made  us  ready  foi* 
anything  at  meal-time.  Tired  as  we  all  were,  we  had  to 
receive  the  calls  of  one  or  two  of  the  high  public  function- 
aries, and  particularly  the  Commandant,  a perfectly  black 
man,  and  the  fastest  talker  I have  ever  heard  in  any  lan- 
guage ; but  after  much  talk,  Mr  White  excused  himself  on 
the  plea  of  fatigue ; the  officials  took  the  hint  and  left  us, 
but  not  yet  to  slumber,  for  to  such  an  extent  is  hospitality 
carried  in  St  Domingo,  that  when  a stranger  of  importance 
arrives  in  a town,  the  band  of  the  special  locality  proceeds 
to  serenade  the  new-comer.  However  pleasant  such  a com- 
pliment might  be  to  the  tired  traveller,  even  if  performed 
by  Strauss’  band,  yet  it  was  a little  too  much  for  our  feel- 
ings when  a din  infernal  ” was  made  outside  the  house 
by  the  village  band,  consisting  of  a big  drum  and  a little 
one;  and  so  exasperated  were  our  drowsy  feelings  by  the 
noise,  that  it  was  promptly  ordered  to  clear  out,  even  the 
expected  douceur  (through  ignorance,  however)  being  with- 
held— ‘‘  Cosa  Dominicana.” 


CHAPTER  XVI. 


“ Through  citron  groves  and  fields  of  yellow  maize, 
Through  plantain  walks,  where  not  a sunbeam  plays; 
Here  blue  savannas  fade  into  the  sky. 

There  forests  frown  in  midnight  majesty.” 


CoTUY — Its  Appearance^  History^  and  Location — The  Yuna  River 
— An  Old  Churchy  a7id  Novel  Mode  of  Advertising — A Vil- 
lage Ce7netery — A First  Regular  Meeting  to  Receive  the  Co7n 
missioner — Courtesy  of  the  People — Swi7n77iing  a River — The 
Royal  Road  — Hu-77ian-i-cu — Old  Cocoa- Trees — DoTnestic 
Institutio7is — Woma7i’s  Rights — Reception  at  La  Vega — The 
Town  a7id  its  History — Hospitable  Attentions — The  07ily 
Steam-Engine — The  “ G7'and’’  Cathedral — An  Official  Break- 
fast— The  Famous  Hill  Santo  Cerro — Superb  View  of  the 
Vega — The  Old  Town  of  La  Vega — The  Valley  of  Consianza 
— A Paradise — Arrival  at  Mocha — A71  Attractive  Town — 
Pretty  Girls — Handso7ue  Ce77ietery — Eloquence  of  the  Com- 
77iissio7ier,  and  so7ne  Plain  Talk. 

ANE  and  a half  miles  from  the  river  Yuna,  in  the  centre 
^ of  the  savanna,  lies  the  old  town  of  Cotuy,  one  of  those 
originally  established  by  the  Spaniards,  being  distant  from 
St  Domingo  city  some  eighty  miles,  and  equally  dis- 
tant from  the  town  of  La  Yega  to  the  north,  and  the 
bottom  of  Samana  Bay,  thirty-five  miles. 

Situated  formerly  a little  farther  to  the  north,  it  was 
known  as  La  Mejorada,  or  the  Privileged,  hut  eventually 
received  the  name  of  Las  Minas,”  because  it  was  located 
in  a district  noted  for  its  mines  of  gold,  silver,  copper,  and 
iron. 

It  was  a flourishing  place  soon  after  its  foundation  by 


COTUY. 


297 


order  of  Ovaudo  in  1505,  and  some  of  tlie  mines  were 
worked  up  to  1520,  when  the  scarcity  of  workmen  was 
beginning  to  be  felt.  When  the  mines  were  closed  by 
order,  this  town  began  to  experience  the  same  results  that 
affected  all  the  others,  and  became  almost  extinct. 

The  modern  town  is  a very  humble  place  indeed,  consist- 
ing of  about  two  hundred  houses  and  less  than  a thousand 
inhabitants.  It  is  principally  built  around  the  plaza  or 
square,  which  forms  the  centre  of  the  town,  the  houses 


Plaza  and  Old  Church,  Cotuy. 


i 


I 


l)eing  of  the  usual  framed,  thatch-covered  style  peculiar  to 
the  country. 

The  population,  as  far  as  we  could  learn,  were  principally 
interested  in  raising  pigs  ; but  the  couhtry  throughout  this 
region  is  famed  as  a fine  country  for  growing  tobacco, 
coffee,  and  cacao. 

Under  favourable  circumstances  there  is  every  reason  for 
its  becoming  a large  town,  situated  as  it  is  on  the  banks 
of  the  river  Yuna,  the  largest  navigable  river,  with  one 
exce{)tion  (the  Artibonite),  upon  the  entire  island. 

This  river,  taking  its  rise  in  the  rocky  hills  of  the  valley 
of  Constanza,  runs  pretty  generally  due  east,  and  passe> 


298 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


within  a mile  and  a half  of  Cotuy,  and  thence  continuing 
its  course  through  the  great  plain  of  the  Vega  Keal,  it 
finally,  by  various  mouths,  empties  into  the  Bay  of  Samana, 
thus  in  its  course  running  through  an  extent  of  country 
some  200  miles  in  length. 

It  is  fed  by  innumerable  streams,  and  at  present  is 
navigable  for  boats  some  forty  miles  from  its  mouth  to 
Almacen  ; but  canoes  have  no  difficulty  in  ascending  as 
high  as  Gouty,  the  usual  depth  of  the  river  being  even  in 
the  dry  season  several  feet,  the  width  from  150  to  200 
yards.  It  would  not  be  a difficult  matter  to  improve  the 
channel  in  such  manner  as  to  permit  of  fiat  boats  being 
fioated  down ; and  in  this  event,  Cotuy  would  become  the 
agricultural  shipping-point  of  the  great  extent  of  country 
in  its  vicinity. 

Ten  o’clock  having  been  appointed  by  the  Commissioner 
as  the  hour  for  the  official  reception,  we  occupied  ourselves, 
after  rising,  in  paying  our  respects  to  the  village  cure, 
visiting  the  old  church  and  the  village  generally. 

We  were  much  interested  in  the  padre,  a man  of  many 
years,  and  who,  though  born  in  Catalonia,  Spain,  had  lived 
here  nearly  all  his  life,  and  a better  country  I never 
want,”  he  said,  surpassing  even  his  native  province  in 
healthfulness.  He  was  too  ill  to  accompany  us,  but  we 
paid  a visit  to  the  old  church,  that  had  been  standing  many 
hundred  years,  and  bore  over  the  main  door  a crack  caused 
by  the  great  earthquake  of  1842. 

A more  poverty-»-stricken,  cheerless  church-interior  I 
never  saw ; built  of  stone,  many  parts  had  gone  to  decay 
without  effort  at  repair,  while  the  whole  place  had  a damp, 
earthy  smell,  which,  with  the  humble  bier  standing  in  an 
alcove,  served  to  remind  us  of  a charnel-house. 

As  showing  the  utter  simplicity  of  the  religion  of  these 
people,  we  noticed  there  was  placed  in  the  curtained 
niche  of  an  alcove  a wax  figure,  nearly  life-size,  of  Christ 
bearing  the  Cross,  which  of  itself  was  horrible  ; but  in  the 


VILLAGE  CEMETERY. 


299 


midst  of  other  decorations,  of  bits  of  gold-paper  and  paper- 
flowers,  a highlj^-coloured  gorgeous  label  bad  been  taken 
from  a vermicelli  box  and  pasted  at  the  foot  of  the  figure 
of  Christ. 

If  this  label  bad  been  in  some  foreign  tongue,  it  might 
be  supposed  that  it  remained  there  in  utter  ignorance  by 
priest  and  people  ot  w^hat  it  was ; but  there  it  was  in 
Spanish,  as  tine  an  advertisement  as  I ever  saw,  that  Farrell 
and  Son,  Barcelona,  made  fine  vermicelli  for  soups. 

Walking  through  the  town,  we  saw  nothing  to  interest 
us  ; but.  having  a theory  that  the  living  are  best  judged 


Cemeterj'  at  Cotuy. 


of  from  the  manner  in  which  they  treat  their  dead,  1 
walked  out  to  the  village  cemetery  on  the  outskirts  of  the 
town,  which  was  a very  humble,  simple  affair  indeed.  A 
lot  enclosed  by  a fence  made  of  withes,  a wooden  portico 
under  which  was  a simple  door  with  a cross  in  white  paint 
marked  upon  it,  .served  as  the  last  resting-})lace  of  the 
villagers,  tlie  graves  of  wjiom  were  marked  by  no  elaborate 
monument,  hut  usually  a sini})le  cross  of  wood. 

23 


300 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


Retiirniiig  to  our  quarters,  I found  the  people  were 
already  gathering  for  their  interview  with  the  Commis- 
sioner. They  were  from  all  sections  and  of  all  colours  ; 
and  the  room  not  being  capable  of  holding  them  all,  they 
crowded  in  at  the  windows  and  doors,  anxious  to  get  a 
glimpse  of  the  man  who  was  perhaps  to  decide  theii 
future. 

The  Commissioner  in  a few  well-chosen  phrases  ex- 
plained the  nature  of  his  mission  ; and  when  he  appealed 


Meeting  at  Cotuy. 

to  them  for  their  desires  of  annexation,  there  was  no 
mistaking  their  earnestness  as  they  shouted,  We  wish 
it.” 

It  was  a remnrkable  sight  to  see,  in  this  humble  habita- 
tion, these  men,  different  in  language,  customs,  and  even 
complexion,  earnestly  invoking  the  representative  of  the 
Great  Republic  to  give  them  that  liberty  with  which  they 


SWIMMING  A RIVER. 


301 


were  familiar  in  name  only,  and  for  which  many  of  them 
had  been  stru^^lin^  all  their  lives. 

One  man,  a tall  swarthy  fellow,  whose  feelings  got  the 
better  of  him,  could  not  restrain  his  enthusiasm,  but 
stretching  himself  to  his  full  height,  raised  his  hands  to 
heaven,  and  exclaimed,  ‘‘With  body  and  soul,  God  knows, 
for  myself  and  for  all  this  people,  we  want  it  and  hope 
for  it  ” (annexation). 

It  was  with  a good  deal  of  pleasure  that  at  an  early  hour 
next  day  we  took  our  departure  from  Cotuy ; for  though 
we  had  been  well  treated  by  its  people,  one  gets  soon  tired 
of  a place  where  there  is  absolutely  nothing  to  do  or  see  ; 
and  the  dusky  Commandant  seemed  desirous  of  making 
the  most  of  us,  as  such  an  event  as  the  arrival  of  a distin- 
guished stranger  was  extremely  rare  in  these  partSi 

He  therefore  deemed  it  his  duty  to  see  us  safely  on  our 
way,  and,  mounted  on  a fierj^  little  horse,  seemed  proud 
to  display  his  horsemanship,  for  which  all  Dominicans  are 
noted. 

In  an  humble  way  these  people,  with  true  courtesy, 
did  all  that  lay  in  their  power  to  honour  the  “ passing 
guest ; ” and  if  I seem  to  speak  lightly  of  their  appear- 
ance and  habits,  it  is  in  no  spirit  of  ridicule,  but  as  a mere 
matter  of  truthful  description  that  I see  them  as  “ ithers 
see  us.” 

At  last  we  arrived  on  the  banks  of  the  main  river,  the 
Yuna,  a branch  of  which  we  had  crossed  soon  after  leavintj 
Cotuy,  and  here  we  found  that  our  pack-horses  would  have  to 
be  unloaded,  and  swam  across,  while  their  cargoes  were  taken 
over  in  canoes,  we  ourselves  being  under  the  necessity  of 
half-swimming  and  half-fording  the  river  with  our  horses. 

The  river  was  quite  wide  and  with  a swift  current,  the 
shores  low  and  gravelly,  as  was  the  bed  of  the  river  ; but 
we  all  managed  to  get  over  without  accident,  except  the 
writer,  who,  with  his  usual  luck,  managed  to  secure  two 
good  boots  ful  of  water.. 


302 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


the  negro  poled  its  head  to  the  shore — an  amusing  as  well 
as  exciting  scene. 

Leaving  behind  us  the  Ynna  and  its  branches,  we  came 
out  into  a beautifully  shaded  road,  with  grassy  surface, 
traversing  which  for  some  miles  we  reached  the  bank  of 
the  stream  where  we  made. our  noonday  halt. 

Our  afternoon  ride  was  still  over  level  country,  now 
savanna,  now  wooded  and  slightly  rolling,  until  we 
struck  the  Camino  Real  ” or  royal  road,  a great  wide 
avenue  in  the  forest,  though  now  in  fenrfnl  condition,  but 


“ Camino  Real.  ” 


The  negro  boatmen  were  very  skilful  in  getting  over 
without  loss  our  cargoes  and  horses.  This  was  done  by 
means  of  a cotton-wood  canoe,  a large  ceiba-tree  furnishing 
the  material,  the  canoe  being  simply  the  trunk  of  one  of 
these  trees  hollowed  out  by  fire  and  axe. 

In  this  a perfectly  nude  negro  stood  with  a long  pole 
and  pushed  his  way  over ; the  horses,  having  their  halter 
straps  held  by  another  negro,  swam  after  the  canoe,  which 
was  allowed  to  didft  with  the  current  of  the  stream,  while 


NATIVE  HOSPITALITY. 


303 


bcaiing  evideDce  that  at  one  time  some  attempt  had  been 
made  to  make  a regular  highway,  for  still  standing  on 
each  side  were  the  royal  palms  ” planted  for  shade  in 
regular  lines,  which  gave  an  imposing  and  graceful  appear- 
ance. But  the  roadway  itself  was  filled  with  mud  and 
water,  the  ground  worn  into  ridges  and  gullies,  resembling 
our  corduroy  roads,  only,  in  lieu  of  the  timber,  the  ridges 
were  of  earth  baked  hard  by  the  sun. 

This  is  caused  from  the  fact  that  the  animals  traversing 
this  road  put  their  feet  in  the  same  place  as  those  gone 
before,  and  these  gullies,  becoming  soft,  fill  with  water, 
and  get  deeper  and  deeper,  so  that  the  traveller  pursuing 
this  route  feels  his  horse  stepping  into  these  gullies,  and 
over  the  ridges  with  a motion  like  camel-riding. 

Some  hours  of  this  fatiguing  work  made  us  very  thankful 
when  we  at  last  arrived  on  the  banks  of  the  Jaina,  a 
branch  of  the  Yuna,  where  we  were  enabled  to  refresh  our- 
selves with  a swim  in  its  clear  and  swift-running  stream 
about  twenty  yards  in  width,  and  over  our  saddle-girths  in 
depth. 

A pretty  savanna  with  the  romantic  Indian  name  of 
Hu-man-i-cu,  was  our  stopping-place  for  the  night. 

Here  we  were  hospitably  received  at  one  of  the  best 
houses  with  which  we  had  met  among  the  country  people, 
(piite  a large  cabin  in  the  centre  of  several  acres,  enclosed 
with  the  pretty  and  luxuriant  hedge  of  the  maya  or  prickly 
aloe,  while  })alms  and  cocoas  gave  shade  to  the  house. 

Around  us  were  fine  views  of  the  distant  mountains, 
which  towered  high  above  the  tops  of  the  neighbouring 
forests.  Our  hosts  seemed  to  be  people  of  the  better 
class,  the  husband,  however,  being  away  in  the  calaboose 
under  charge  of  sticking  a knife  into  a man  at  a dance 
a few  evenings  before. 

His  wife  took  it  very  philosophically,  as  being  quite  a 
‘‘ cosa  Dominicaua,”  and  she  appeared  in  many  respects 
quite  an  intelligent  woman,  her  colour  being  what  we 


304 


SAXTO  D02IIXG0. 


should  call  brown,  though  two  of  her  children  were  quite 
black. 


Well-to-do  as  these  people  appeared,  there  was  not  an 

article  of  crockeiy 
(if  I except  one 
it  would  not  be 
polite  to  men- 
tion) in  the  house. 
Everything  usu- 

allv  made  of  such 

%/ 

material  was  here 
fashioned  out  of 
calabashes,  cocoa- 
nuts,  or  gourds; 
and  yet  there  was 
every  variety  of 
bowls,  cups,  and 
ladles,  all  scrup- 
ulously clean  and 
highly  polished, 
in  the  cupboard, 
which  had  its 

La  Fuent 

place  in  the 

corner  under  the  name  of  “ La  Fuente,”  and  of  which  the 
lady  of  the  house  appeared  very  proud. 

The  Doctor,”  a strong  advocate  of  woman’s  rights,” 
having  engaged  my  services  as  interpreter  in  a conversation 
carried  on  with  the  wife,  was  anxious  to  have  her  opinion  on 
the  subject ; and  I was  highly  amused  when  she  said,  with  a 
good  deal  of  vim,  that  “ women  had  no  business  with  such 
jnatters;  that  if  they  attended  pro])erly  to  the  duties  needed 
in  their  domestic  circles,  their  husbands  would  manage 
other  matters  for  them.”  She  was  decidedly  in  earnest 
when  she  said  there  could  be  but  one  head  to  a house — 
that  was  the  man  ; ” all  of  which  the  Doctor  put  down  to  a 
gross  state  of  ignorance. 


COCOA  TREE. 


305 


Like  her  more  favoured  sisters  elsewhere,  however,  she 
preferred  the  town  to  the  country  ; it  was  more  cheerful 
and  lively,  and  she  could  have  more  hailitas  ” (little 
dances). 

Here  I saw  some  fine  specimens  of  the  cocoa  or  chocolate 
tree,  one  of  them  being  pointed  out  as  twenty-five  years 
old,  and  still  profusely  bearing  fruit. 

This  product  alone  would  make  St  Domingo  a flourishing 
and  wealthy  island,  if 
the  inhabitants,  feeling 
assured  of  the  future, 
chose  to  turn  their  atten- 
tion to  its  cultivation , 
and  it  would  be  a difficult 
matter  to  compute  the 
amount  of  wealth  to  be 
acquired  in  an  island 
where,  without  trouble, 
its  plains  can  be  filled 
with  cattle  and  cane, 
while  the  hills,  even  to 
their  tops,  produce  so 
readily  the  cocoa  and  the 
coffee.  If  there  were  no 
other  products,  if  the 
immense  wealth  of  mine- 
rals and  fruits,  and  other 
products  so  easily  cul- 
tivated, were  left  out  of 
sight,  and  only  the  first-named  ])roduced,  there  is  wealth 
enough  here  for  millions  of  people  to  live  in  ease  and  com- 
fort, who  are  now  struggling  with  starvation  in  less  favoured 
countries. 

Three  miles  from  Ilu-rnan-i-cu,  the  other  and  even  more 
difficult  road  from  St  Domingo  citv,  known  as  the  Jaina 
road,  joined  the  one  uj)on  which  we  travelled;  and  a few 


306 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


days  previous  Professor  Blake  of  the  United  States  Com- 
mission had  passed  that  way  with  his  party. 

We  reached  La  Vega,  only  a few  miles’  ride  from  our 
night’s  resting-place;  and  entering  a beautiful  avenue, 
bright  with  the  evergreen  grass  of  this  always  verdure-clad 
island,  we  were  met  on  the  outskirts  of  the  town  by  the 
Governor  of  the  province,  Jose  Rodriguez,  the  Commandant 
of  Arms,  and  about  fifty  of  the  most  prominent  men  of  the 
place  and  vicinity,  all  well  and  clean  dressed  men,  white, 
black,  and  coloured,  and  all  well  mounted  on  the  active, 
spirited  horses  peculiar  to  the  island. 

The  fine  horses  and  equipments,  as  well  as  the  bright, 
clean  appearance  of  the  riders,  put  us  quite  to  the  blush, 
as,  on  our  tired,  mud-splashed  horses,  and  with  personal 
attire  rough,  dirty,  and  careless,  we  received  their  saluta- 
tions. I have  never  been  more  agreeably  disappointed  in 
my  life  than  I have  been  in  the  people  of  St  Domingo.  No 
matter  what  the  shade  of  colour,  from  the  time  that  I 
lauded  at  Puerto  Plata  to  the  moment  I left  the  island,  I 
saw  nothing  but  the  most  natural  and  graceful  courtesy 
exercised,  not  only  towards  all  strangers,  but  also  to  each 
other. 

And  here  we  might  have  thought  we  were  going  to  be 
taken  to  the  most  superb  palaces  and  entertainments, 
judging  from  the  manners  of  these  men,  who,  making  no 
pretension,  placed  with  true  politeness  before  us  such  ac- 
commodation as  they  had. 

Escorting  us  to  our  quarters,  the  guard  doing  us  honour 
as  we  passed  the  plaza,  we  were  safely  bestowed  in  the  house 
of  the  village  padre,  who,  vacating  the  premises,  as  we 
afterwards  found,  left  the  house  and  servants  entirely  to  our 
party,  furnishing  our  meals  and  attendance  without  a single 
command  on  our  part,  or  chance  to  make  any  recompense, 
even  at  our  departure  keeping  the  attendants  out  of  the  way, 
so  that  we  should  not  settle  with  them. 

Interchange  of  courtesies  here  ensued,  accompanied  with 


REMAINS  OF  STEAM-ENGINE. 


307 


hearty  hand-shaking  and  good  wishes  from  the  people. 
Appointments  for  official  receptions  being  made  for  next 
day,  we  were  left  to  enjoy  the  luxury  of  getting  baths  and 
clean  clothes,  of  which  we  stood  much  in  need  after  our 
journey. 

The  balance  of  the  day  being  left  unmolested  to  wander 
where  we  pleased,  we  availed  ourselves  of  the  opportunity 
to  stroll  through  the  village  and  the  outskirts.  One  of  the 
most  striking  objects  was  considered  to  be  the  remains  of 
a steam-engine,  said  to  be  the  only  one  ever  put  uj)  in  the 


The  only  Ste;im-Engine  in  St  Domingo. 


island,  and  certainly  the  only  one  I saw  or  heard  of  in  my 
travels.  This  we  found  lying  on  the  banks  of  the  river, 
utterly  useless  and  broken.  It  had  been  brought  out  from 
the  United  States  by  the  village  priest.  Padre  Moya,  who 
liad  it  put  up;  and  an  American,  named,  I believe,  Jordan 
Lancaster,  from  New  Jersey,  engaged  to  run  it.  Logs  from 
the  neighbouring  hills  were  sawn,  and  afterwards  floated 
down  the  Camou  riv'er  ; but  the  Spaniards  left  the  mill 
ruined,  as  they  did  everything,  when  they  departed  the 


308 


SAX  TO  DOMIXGO, 


island ; and  there  the  boiler  still  lies,  a fitting  emblem  of 
dead  progress  in  an  island  where  there  is  ample  field  for  the 
remunerative  working  of  thousands  of  mills  and  engines. 

The  present  town  of  La  Yega  is  situated  on  the  river 
Camou,  one  of  the  tributaries  of  the  Yuna,  and  at  a short 
distance  only  from  its  right  bank. 

It  lies  in  the  centre  of  a beautiful  savanna,  which  in 


La  Vega. 


form  is  nearly  round;  and  is  almost  completely  surrounded 
by  hills,  the  town  being  to  the  north  of  the  Cibao  range, 
which  it  faces. 

It  owes  its  foundation  to  the  destruction  b}"  an  earth- 
quake of  the  famous  old  town,  founded  by  Columbus,  of 
Concepcion  de  la  Yega,  which  lay  some  six  miles  to  the  north 
and  east. 

It  is  laid  out  in  a regular  manner,  the  streets  crossing- 
each  other  at  right  angles,  in  the  centre  of  the  town  there 
being  the  usual  plaza  or  square,  near  which  is  the  only 
building  of  any  importance  in  the  village,  the  church. 

The  houses  are  principally  constructed  of  wood,  though 


< 

i 

1 


LA  VEGA  CATHEDRAL. 


309 


of  a much  better  class  than  those  in  the  majority  of  the 
towns,  some  of  them  being  quite  respectable  frame-houses. 
The  remains  are  still  to  be  seen  of  ruined  stone  houses, 
showing  that,  at  some  previous  time,  the  place  deserved  its 
name  of  a substantial  city ; but  lying  in  a plain  as  it  does, 
and  seen  from  the  outskirts,  it  has  anything  but  an  impos- 
ing appearance,  although  its  natural  location  is  lovely  and 
perfectly  salubrious. 

The  town  receives  its  name  from  the  great  valley  in  which 


^1? 

J.a  Vega  Cathedral. 


it  is  situated;  and  tlie  jirovince  of  which  it  is  the  capital  is 
noted  for  its  superb  lands  for  grazing  and  the  production  of 
coffee,  cane,  and  tobacco. 

Strolling  through  the  town,  we  found  there  were  some 
primary  schools  in  the  jilace,  and  well  attended;  but  the 
amount  of  business  carried  on  seemed  limited  enough. 

.ludging  from  the  church,  it  was  evident  that  more  had 
been  anticipated  for  La  Vega  than  it  had  been  enabled  to 
fulfil  ; for  an  immense  church  or  cathedral  had  been  begun 


310 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


oil  an  extremely  grand  scale  for  so  small  a place,  but  was 

not  able  to  be  finished  owing  to  want  of  funds. 

^ . . . • 

A very  imposing  structure  in  design,  with  pillared  arches 
and  solid  walls  of  stone,  it  had  been  roughly  roofed  in, 
leaving  the  rafters  and  a portion  of  the  unfinished  wall 
unplastered.  Yet  there  was  the  usual  amount  of  tapers 
and  flowers,  only  the  limited  number  of  worshippers  were 
lost  in  so  great  a place. 

Our  party  was  entertained  at  a state  breakfast,  given  by 
the  village  padre,  who,  a native  of  Corsica,  had  been  edu- 
cated in  France,  and  we  found  him  to  be  a highly  polished 
and  cultivated  man. 

We  enjoyed  our  entertainment  much,  meeting  the  prin- 
cipal men  of  the  village,  all  of  whom  were  white,  and  as 
})olished  and  intelligent  a set  of  men  as  could  be  met  under 
the  same  circumstances  anywhere,  while  the  material  on  the 
table  was  only  excelled  in  its  cuisine  by  its  profusion. 

I must  confess  we  were  all  much  astonished  at  finding  the 
unanimity  of  sentiment  existing  in  this  region,  after  what 
we  had  heard;  and  while  there  was  some  difference  of  opinion 
in  reference  to  the  present  rulers  of  the  island,  there  was 
an  entire  and  hearty  sentiment  desiring  annexation  to  the 
United  States. 

A still  more  extensive  general  meeting  of  the  citizens 
and  people  was  held  when  breakfast ' was  over,  at  which 
speeches  were  made ; and,  our  adieux  being  said,  we  rode  off, 
escorted  by  the  Governor  and  a number  of  others,  being 
joined  also  by  the  padre,  who,  with  his  robe  tucked  up 
around  him,  and  mounted  on  a spirited  little  horse,  chal- 
lenged any  of  the  party  to  a race,  which  he  would  doubt- 
less have  won;  but  our  whole  party  increasing  their  gait 
after  fording  the  river,  we  were  soon  on  our  way  to 
Mocha. 

But,  six  miles  from  La  Vega,  we  were  to  see  a spot  in 
which  we  were  more  interested  than  any  place  on  the 
island,  and  of  which  we  had  received  what  we  deemed 


J 


HOLY  HILL. 


311 


fabulous  accounts.  This  was  the  famous  hill  “ Santo  Cerro  ” 
of  Columbus. 

The  road  we  were  travelling  was  very  romantic  and  beau- 
tiful, though  rugged ; and  suddenly  leaving  it,  we  began 
our  ascent  over  a very  narrow  and  stony  path,  that  led  up 
almost  perpendicularly  above  the  tops  of  the  trees,  on  what  ' 
seemed  a mere  knob  of  rock. 

Still  continuing,  we  found  we  were  ascending  an  isolated 
hill,  and  as  we  cleared  the  trees  of  the  lower  surface,  we 
began  to  get  superb  views  of  parts  of  tlie  Royal  Plain. 

We  were  none  of  us,  however,  prepared  for  the  sight 
we  beheld,  as,  reaching  the  very  top  of  the  hill,  we  found 
spread  out  before  us  in  every  direction  the  whole  extent  of 
the  Vega  Real,  the  famous  Royal  Plain  of  Columbus. 

The  spot  upon  which  we  stood  was  the  famous  Holy  Hill, 
noted  in  the  history  of  the  island  as  the  place  whereon  was 
worked  a great  miracle  in  favour  of  the  Spaniards. 

It  is  related  that  Columbus  having  erected  a cross  upon 
this  hill,  the  Indians  in  vain  attempted  to  cut  it  down  and 
to  burn  it.  Struck  with  terror,  they  perceived  the  Virgin 
sitting  on  one  of  the  arms  of  the  cross,  and  the  arrows  they 
shot  at  her  returned  to  pierce  their  own  bodies  (?). 

Notwithstanding  that  every  Spaniard  would  have  a 
piece  of  this  cross,”  there  was  left  enough  (so  say  the 
chroniclers)  to  take  to  St  Domingo  city,  where  it  was 
covered  with  silver  filigree,  and,  under  charge  of  the  priests, 
was  produced  at  the  Cathedral,  to  help  to  sell  indulgences 
and  perform  fresh  miracles. 

Upon  the  top  of  this  hill,  which  forms  a -level  j)lateau, 
stands  a plain  wooden  church,  originally  founded  by  the 
Brothers  of  Mercy;  and  upon  the  very  edge  of  the  hill  stands 
a large  wooden  cross,  overgrown  with  vines,  to  ])erpetuate 
the  memory  of  the  original  cross,  I suppose.  Back  of  the 
church  there  is  a small  village  containing  a few  inhabitants  ; 
but  it  is  said,  in  former  days,  when  the  Holy  Brothers  had 
formed  this  hill  into  a hermitage,  there  were  beautiful 


312 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


0 


gardens  all  over  it,  where  were  produced  fruits  only  grown 
in  temperate  zones,  hut  wdiich,  from  the  height  of  this 
hill,  found  a congenial  atmosphere. 

But  historic  as  is  this  old  hill  and  its  surroundings,  it 
afforded  us  the  greater  gratification  of  seeing,  I might  say, 
the  whole  island  at  our  feet;  for  there,  far  below  us,  to  the 
right,  to  the  left,  lav  the  thousands  and  thousands  of  leagues 
of  the  noble,  beautiful  plain  famed  in  and  out  of  the  island 
as  the  Vega  Real.  In  front  of  us,  looking  north,  and 
stretching  away  until  lost  to  sight,  lay,  hazy,  grand,  and 
majestic,  the  Monte  Cristo  range  of  mountains,  extending 
almost  to  Samana,  the  bay  of  which,  with  its  waters  blue 
and  hazy,  or  glittering  in  the  sun,  w^e  could  perceive  like  a 
spot  in  the  distance. 

From  the  base  of  the  hill  whereon  we  stood  to  the  moun- 
tain range,  lay  quiet  and  peaceful  the  vast  level  plain, 
broken  here  and  there  by  the  silver  ribbon  of  a stream,  or 
the  curling  blue  smoke  that  served  to  mark  the  location 
of  some  hut  or  pueblo ; — such  a plain  as  that  seen  from 
Catskill,  New  York,  or  the  Dyke,  in  England,  on  a clear 
day ; yet  the  very  opposite  in  its  character,  for  here  were 
seen  no  rich  fields  of  grain,  no  pretty  farmhouses  or  neat 
villages,  showing  a careful  and  successful  agriculture. 

No ; here  was  seen  naught  but  nature, — beautiful,  it  is 
true,  but  wild,  uncultivated  nature, — where  the  palm,  the 
cocoa,  and  hundreds  of  forest  groves  held  undisputed  sway 
over  this  superb  expanse  of  land,  where,  with  labour  and 
capital  added  to  intelligence  and  industry,  it  could  be 
made  to  bloom  into  a perfect  flower,  fruit,  and  vegetable 
garden. ‘ 

It  may  seem  too  practical  amidst  such  scenes,  but  I could 
not  help  wishing  there  might  soon  be  seen  the  smoke  of  the 
locomotive  on  the  projected  railroad,  that  would  bring 
access,  civilisation,  and  culture  in  its  train  to  this  superb 
region. 

Descending  the  hill,  we  bade  adieu  to  the  padre  and  his 


% 


COXCEPGIOX  DE  LA  VEGA.  313 


friends,  and,  accompanied  by  the  Governor,  we  proceeded 
on  our  journey.  A short  distance  from  the  base  of  the 
Holy  Hill  he  pointed  out  to  us  the  clump  of  stones  that 
marked  a portion  of  the  site  of  old  Concepcion  de  LaYega, 
to  which  the  plain  gave  its  name. 

Here,  too,  with  this  spot  the  pen  of  historic  romance 
has  been  busy ; for  it  is  said  this  is  the  spot  where  was 
first  celebrated  in  America,  in  a formal  manner,  high 
mass,  upon  which  occasion  officiated  the  famous  Father 
Las  Casas ; and  every  place  in  the  vicinity  is  connected 
with  Columbus. 

In  1493,  Columbus  having  received  an  account  of  the 
mines  of  Cibao  (literally  stony  or  rocky  ground),  came 
himself  to  verify  the  report ; and  upon  this  occasion,  when 
crossing  from  Isabella,  via  the  Monte  Cristo  range,  he 
discovered  this  plain ; when  so  struck  was  he  with  its 
extent  and  beauty,  that  he  named  it  Royal.” 

Constructing  in  1495  a fort  at  La  Yega,  he  was  enabled, 
it  is  said,  to  defeat,  with  his  brother  Bartholomew  and  the 
small  number  of  troops  with  him,  100,000  Indians  ; and 
this  post  became  the  foundation  of  the  city  of  Concepcion 
de  la  Yega,  the  city  being  built  on  the  very  spot  where 
Guarionex,  cacique  of  the  kingdom  of  Magua,  had  resided. 

The  other  fort  established  in  the  Yega  by  Ovando  in 
1504,  and  known  as  Magdelina,  was  placed  at  what  is  now 
known  as  Macoris. 

Owing  to  the  fact  of  the  mines  of  the  vicinity,  and  the 
town  being  made  a bishopric,  it  soon  became  an  important 
place;  but  in  1564  an  earthquake  overthrew  the  whole 
town,  and  the  ruins,  up  to  within  a few  years,  it  is  said, 
were  plainly  visible,  the  earth  in  some  places  remaining 
half  open,  leaving  exposed  to  view  the  roofs  of  buried 
houses.  The  place  is  now,  however,  overgrown  with  rank 
vegetation. 

In  the  time  of  the  original  Spaniards  it  was  the  chief 
place  from  which  they  emanated  on  their  forays,  and  here 
24 


314 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


it  was  that  Roldan’s  mutiny  was  brought  to  a focus  ; while 
at  the  time  Bobadilla  came  out,  Columbus  received  here  the 
news  of  his  arrival. 

In  later  years,  so  absolutely  had  the  country  gone  to 
ruin,  that  the  pass  used  by  the  Spaniards  of  that  time  to 
visit  the  mines  of  the  Cibao  became  unknown,  and  it  was 
not  for  many  years  that  it  was  rediscovered. 

Strange  to  say,  this  very  pass,  leading  then,  as  now,  to  the 
valley  of  Con  stanza,  is  little  known,  and  yet  the  latter  is 
famous  as  being  in  one  of  the  most  delightful  parts  of  the 
island.  It  is  said  to  be  some  five  leagues  in  circumference,  is 
fine  and  well  watered  with  delightful  springs.  The  pasture 
is  good  for  all  sorts  of  cattle,  and  from  it  one  can  descend 
on  the  other  side  to  the  fairy  valley  of  San  Juan  already 
alluded  to.  It  is  stated  that  horses  become  particularly 
excellent  here,  while  sheep  and  goats  thrive  amazingly. 
The  situation  is  so  cold,  that  during  eight  months  of  the 
year  thick  blankets  are  necessary  on  the  bed,  and  in  the 
hottest  season  meat  keeps  sweet  several  days. 

On  the  highest  part  of  the  neighbouring  mountains 
there  is  often  a slight  white  frost,  and  in  the  valley  fire  is 
often  desirable  for  comfort  towards  evening.  This  was 
formerly  a famous  country  for  wheat ; and  those  who  have 
succeeded  in  penetrating  to  some  parts  of  this  mysterious 
valley,  state  there  are  yet  people  residing  there  who  are 
white,  the  women  having  even  fair  hair,  and  blue  eyes 
similar  to  the  Biscayans. 

It  was  my  intention  to  have  penetrated  into  this  un- 
known country,  but  being  unable  to  secure  a guide,  I was 
compelled  to  believe  the  assertion  that  it  was  to-day  im- 
penetrable, and  that,  in  fact,  for  many  years  it  had  not 
been  traversed  by  white  men. 

In  1864  the  Dominicans  were  pursuing  the  Spanish 
troops  through  the  valley  from  La  Yega  to  Hincha,  and 
their  general,  Esteban  Rocas,  was  compelled,  in  order  to 
effect  his  retreat,  to  cut  a way  through  this  section  over 


MOCHA. 


315 


mountains  and  precipices,  and  this  for  infantry  only,  it 
being  impossible  for  a cavalryman  to  pass.  For  this 
reason,  as  was  pithily  explained  to  me,  No  one  knows 
anything  about  it,  since  a Dominican  would  rather  go  two 
or  three  days  without  eating  than  on  foot ; he  wants  his 
horse,  and  will  not  visit  places  except  he  can  go  on  horse- 
back and  make  a figure.”  I confess  to  having  a good  deal 
of  sympathy  with  them  on  that  score  since  traversing  their 
country.  Sir  Kohert  Schomburg  endeavoured  to  pene- 
trate it,  but  was  unsuccessful,  though  it  is  said  Colonel 
Henneken  was  more  successful.  And  yet  this  is  part  of 
the  country  to  which  even  Columbus  gained  access. 

The  sierras  bordering  it  are  very  high,  some  of  the  peaks 
being  from  7000  to  9000  feet  in  height ; and  it  is  believed 
by  all  the  natives,  from  the  nature  of  the  quartz^  rock,  that 
there  is  abundance  of  gold. 

I am  led  to  believe,  from  what  I was  told,  and  what  I 
have  seen  of  the  vicinity,  that  this  valley  is  similar  in 
character  to  those  in  eastern  Cuba  in  the  region  of  the 
Yateras,  which,  from  personal  experience,  I can  testify  to 
as  being  superb  in  climate,  salubrity,  and  soil.  ; 

And  so,  thinking  of  the  far-away  past  and  the  almost 
unknown  present  of  this  beautiful -land,  we  continue  our 
journey  to  Mocha,  passing  through  a tolerably  well-settled 
country,  upon  each  side  of  the  road  being  the  various  agri- 
cultural places  known  as  “ fincas  ” “ estancias  ” ynjenios,” 
or  canuco,”  all  meaning  smaller  or  lesser  farms,  where 
tobacco,  corn,  and  plantains  are  grown,  or  cane-sugar  and 
molasses  rudely  made,  while  coffee  is  left  to  grow  almost 
wild. 

In  the  bracing  air  of  evening  we  came  in  sight  of  the 
beautiful  town  of  Mocha,  as  it  lies  nestling  in  a plain  at  the 
foot  of  the  great  hills,  and  we  now  began  to  feel  the  im- 
mense difference  between  the  temperature  of  the  coast  and 
the  hill  country,  as  these  elevated  plains  and  mountains 
are  called. 


316 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


Here  again  we  were  met  by  the  Commandant,  a remark- 
able-looking man,  and  unmistakably  a white  gentleman ; 
and,  of  course,  there  were  a thousand  apologies  made  by 
these  more  than  courteous  people  for  the  accommodations 
offered  us  ; but  we  really  had  no  cause  of  complaint  on  that 
score;  and  we  were  glad,  after  our  pleasant  evening  meal,  in 
company  of  some  of  the  prominent  men  of  the  place,  to 
bestow  our  wearied  bodies  in  our  ever-present  bags. 

With  such  a day  as  we  awoke  to,  there  was  no  linger- 
ing in  one’s  bed,  and  so,  bright  and  early,  we  were  out  and 
about,  drinking  in  new  life  from  the  glorious  atmosphere 
of  this  region. 

Mocha  is  an  active,  thriving  town  in  the  great  plain, 
about  twenty-five  miles  to  the  north  of  La  Vega.  It  is 
situated  in  the  heart  of  a country  noted  for  its  productive** 
ness  over  all  other  parts  of  the  island,  the  tobacco  and 
coffee  of  the  locality  being  famed  for  its  abundant  growth 
and  good  quality ; and  from  what  I saw  of  this  region,  in- 
cluding Santiago,  I believe,  in  case  of  immigration  into  the 
island,  this  section  will  become  the  chosen  spot. 

The  population  seems  to  consist  more  largely  of  pure 
white  people  than  any  place  in  which  we  had  been,  and 
the  general  character  of  the  town  and  its  people  seemed, 
after  a short  acquaintance,  to  be  of  a superior  nature. 

The  streets  are  well  paved ; there  are  many  stores  with 
a fair  assortment  of  goods,  and  apparently  doing  an  active 
business.  The  houses  are  mostly  built  of  stone  or  the 
concrete  of  the  country ; and  from  the  careful  condition  in 
which  they  are  kept,  the  town,  with  its  abundance  of  blue 
and  white  paint,  presents  a clean  and  gay  appearance. 
Altogether  I was  reminded  of  some  of  the  pretty  and 
flourishing  villages  of  Cuba. 

The  town  boasts  of  a good-sized  church  of  stone,  covered 
with  a corrugated  iron  roof,  and  it  presented  a more  cleanly 
and  thriving  appearance  than  any  church  in  which  we  had 
been ; while  the  cemetery  at  the  end  of  the  main  street  was 


MOCHA. 


BEAUTIFUL  WOMEE 


317 


a remarkabh"  handsome  place,  both  in  its  construction  and 
its  locality ; for  situated  upon  the  very  brow  of  a hill,  it 
overlooked  the  lovely  plain,  beyond  which,  in  the  distance, 
the  many  ranges  of  hills  formed  a charming  background. 

We  were  quite  surprised  to  find  not  only  two-storied 
houses  in  the  town,  but  even  some  that  had  garret  windows, 
a degree  of  civilisation  we  had  not  yet  met  with  in  the  island. 

And  here,  I may  say  also,  we  saw  the  first  really  beauti- 
ful women  whom  we  had  met : and  the  sight  of  two  lovelv 
looking  girls  at  one  of  the  corner  windows,  with  their 


Moclia  Cemeterj’. 


brunette  complexions,  rosy  cheeks,  lovely  eyes,  and  rich 
dark  hair,  was  too  much  for  some  of  our  party,  who,  putting 
themselves  at  the  feet  of  the  young  ladies  (figuratively  d 
los  pies  de  V.  df.),  were  rewarded  by  tljeir  very  gracious 
smiles  and  gracias.” 

Here  again  Mr  White  was  called  on  to  address  a large 
crowd  of  these’  earnest  ])eople,  wlio  had  congregated  at  the 
town-hall  to  hear  about  the  possibility  of  their  becoming 
‘‘  Americanos.” 


318 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


Eloquent  as  he  always  was,  and  fired  by  the  earnest,  long- 
ing looks  of  the  men  of  these  strange  assemblies,  it  was  a 
rather  trying  ordeal  to  go  through  to  he  compelled  to  stop 
in  the  midst  of  an  eloquent  peroration  to  allow  the  inter- 
preter to  translate  it  to  the  audience ; and  Mr  White  was 
fortunate  in  having  at  his  service  Professor  Grabb,  whose 
long  residence  on  the  island  has  rendered  him  familiar  with 
the  colloquial  language  of  the  people. 

All  it  is  necessary  to  say  here  about  these  addresses  iu 
various  parts  of  the  island  is,  that  they  were  extremely 
practical  and  to  the  point ; and  though  these  people  heard 
some  very  plain  talk  ” about  themselves,  and  what  they 
would  have  to  expect  as  part  of  the  American  Unionj 
the  remarks  of  Mr  White  were  everywhere  received  with 
honest  appreciation. 


CHAPTEn  XVII 


Earth,  yield  me  roots  ! 

Who  seeks  for  better  of  thee,  sauce  his  palate 
With  thy  most  operant  poison.  What  is  here? 

Gold  ! yellow,  glittering,  precious  gold  ! ” 

— Timon  of  Athens. 


From  ^Iocha  to  Santiago. — Improved  Roads — Fine  Lands — 
Receptmi  at  Sa?itiago  — First  Sight  of  the  Yaqiii — Description 
of  Santiago  and  the  Gold  Regiofis. 


T^E  had  now  been  eight  days  on  our  journey,  almost  con- 
* ^ stantly  in  the  saddle,  traversing  a country  which  may 
be  said  to  he  almost  a primeval  wilderness.  Up  to  our 
arrival  at  Cotuy,  and  from  thence  to  Mocha,  the  country 
was  so  sparsely  inhabited,  that  houses  by  the  roadside  were 
met  with  but  rarely. 

Almost  without  nourishing  food,  exposed  to  the  sun,  and 
occasionally  wet  by  the  sharp  tropical  showers  that  went  as 
quickly  as  they  came,  yet  we  were  all  in  fine  health  and 
good  spirits,  notwithstanding  the  prognos  ications  of  the 
evil-minded ; and  it  was,  therefore,  with  keen  appreciation 
for  the  beauties  of  the  road  that  we  started  on  our  journey 
of  fifteen  miles  from  Mocha  to  Santiago,  the  famous  city 
of  the  Cibao.” 

Mounting  our  horses,  and  accompanied  by  a brilliant  escort, 
we  left  behind  us,  early  in  the  afternoon,  the  pleasant  town 
of  Mocha,  with  its  gay  appearance  and  pretty  girls ; and 


320 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


striking  a continuation  of  the  Royal  Road,  we  found  we  were 
in  a much  more  thickly-settled  country. 

The  road  was  wide,  shaded,  and  pretty  generally  dry, 
though  here  and  there  we  came  upon  some  ugly  placesj 
through  which  we  had  to  struggle  and  stick  in  the  pasty 
mud. 

The  soil  throughout  was  of  the  richest,  blackest  loam, 
similar  to  the  splendid  lands  of  Mississippi ; while  on  each 
side  of  the  road  we  found  the  habitations  of  a much  better 
class,  and  the  farms  or  plantations  on  a larger  scale ; yet 
with  all  there  was  a perfect  absence  of  systematic  labour 
and  agriculture. 

One  of  the  places  pointed  out  to  me  as  an  ynjenio  ” or 
sugar-place,  was  possessed  of  a fine  lawn  in  front  of  the 
house,  shaded  here  and  there  by  the  most  superb  specimens 
of  the  royal  palm,  while  fine  cattle  were  browsing  on  the 
grass ; the  house  itself,  commodious  but  plain,  being  only 
one  story  in  height,  of  wood,  and  painted  bright  red. 

Inquiring  about  land  values,  I was  told  the  house  and 
over  a thousand  acres  of  good  cleared  land,  capable  of 
raising  cane,  coffee,  cocoa,  cotton,  and  fruits,  could  be 
bought  for  about  $5000  in  gold ; a .grand  speculation  with 
a stable  Government  assured. 

We  soon  had  signs  that  we  were  approaching  a prominent 
town,  for  we  constantly  met  the  requeros,”  or  mule-trains, 
on  the  way,  with  loads  of  tobacco  to  the  principal  depot, 
Santiago. 

Then  we  passed  whole  fields  of  guava  growing  wild,  acres 
of  broad-leafed  tobacco,  corn,  and  other  productions,  while 
groves  of  the  ramon  ” tree,  upon  the  leaves  of  which 
horses  and  cattle  feed  as  though  it  were  gra«s,  met  us  at 
every  step. 

Some  distance  out  from  Santiago  we  were  met  by  General 
Cacerees  (the  reputed  son  of  Baez,  whom  he  very  much 
resembles),  the  commander  of  the  military  district,  ac- 
companied by  no  end  of  governors,  commandants,  generals, 


• t 


V • 


t 


.'l 


t 

■'  . ■ >’ 

/ . . ■ 

. 1. 


* 

‘ ' r '*  .V 


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I 


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rtp. 


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,*T 


*V. 


THK  RIVF.R  YAQUI. 


RIVER  YAQUL 


321 


and  others,  all  assembled  to  receive  and  do  honour  to  Com- 
missioner White.  Mounted  as  they  all  were  on  fine  horses, 
they  presented  an  animated  sight. 

Presentations  and  congratulations  being  over,  the  caval- 
cade wended  its  way  tow^ards  the  famous  ‘‘  City  of  Gentle- 
men,” of  which  we  caught  a glimpse  when  we  were  yet 
some  distance  off. 

Riding  apart  a little  from  the  road,  I \vas  taken  by  one 
of  the  officers  to  the  edge  of  a bluff,  and  there,  far  below 


Vicinity  of  Santiago.  Tobacco  Train. 


me,  rolled  the  wide,  swift-running,  but  now  l ather  shallow, 
Yaqui  river,  the  famous  gold-river  of  Columbus,  which, 
running  through  the  heart  of  the  island,  drains  some  of  its 
most  fertile  plains,  the  limits  of  which  end  abruptly,  and 
in  many  cases  precipitously,  on  the  Y'aqui.  This  river, 
known  by  its  various  names  of  Yaquey,  Yacki  Grande,  takes 
its  rise  in  the  mountains  near  the  Peak  of  Yaqui,  and  in 
its  course  extends  some  200  miles,  emptying  finally  into 
Manzanillo  Bay.  Having  a number  of  tributaries,  it  waters 


322 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


aDd  fertilises  a vast  extent  of  country,  and  from  the  nature 
of  its  banks  could  easily  be  formed  into  a vast  canal.  So 
winding  is  its  course,  that  Columbus,  crossing  it  several 
times,  believed  he  had  met  with  as  many  different  streams, 
and  accordingly  bestowed  various  names  upon  it. 

After  many  windings  in  the  road,  we  came  in  sight  of 
Santiago,  high  up  on  a plateau,  its  abrupt  cliffs  and  walls 
giving  it  the  appearance  of  a regularly  fortified  place,  as  at 
this  point  the  town  itself  was  not  visible. 

Descending  to  the  river  bank,  and  then  mounting  up  a 
steep  hill,  we  enter  this  queer,  ancient,  and  historic  city, 
bearing  still  about  it,  with  its  ruined  walls  and  grass- 
grown  streets,  vestiges  of  its  antiquity,  relieved  only  by 
the  fresh  new  houses  of  stone  and  plaster  that  have  in 
later  days  been  built. 

A house  having  been  prepared  for  our  reception,  we  were 
soon  comfortably  bestowed  in  the  most  modern  well-built 
house  with  which  we  had  yet  met,  but,  like  most  all 
Spanish  houses,  having  its  saloons  over  the  stores  and 
warehouses  of  the  ground-floor. 

During  the  whole  evening  numbers  of  the  most  pro- 
minent men  called  to  pay  their  respects  to  the  Commis- 
sioner, and  appointments  were  made  for  the  next  day.  for 
the  public  meeting  with  the  people  generall3\ 

I had  read  of  the  beauty  of  the  moonlight  nights  in  St 
Domingo,  but  up  to  this  time  we  had  had  no  fair  specimen: 
but  I confess  the  opportunity  we  now  had  of  enjoying  one 
of  those  beauties  of  the  tropics  was  superb. 

The  house  in  which  we  were  located  was  upon  the  highest 
part  of  the  plateau,  the  windows,  like  all  those  of  this 
country,  large  and  opening  to  the  floor,  so  that  swinging 
in  one’s  hammock  you  could  look  out  on  the  beautiful 
scene  before  j^ou,  the  white  walls  of  the  house  looking  even 
more  white  in  the  pale  light  of  the  moon,  while  by  con- 
trast the  shadows  were  deeper  and  more  my.sterious, 
and  stretching  away  beyond  were  the  gently  rising  hills 


SANTJA(W, 


323 


that  finally  ended  in  the  mountain  range  which  almost 
entirely  surrounds  the  town,  forming  as  it  were  a vast 
amphitheatre.  A beautiful  scene  indeed,  with  the  evening 
air  pouring  in  fresh  and  pure ; and,  with  the  fatigues  of 
the  day  upon  us,  it  was  no  very  difficult  matter  to  slip 
awa}"  into  the  land  of  dreams. 

‘‘Santiago  de  los  Caballeros”  is  one  of  the  most 
ancient  towns  in  the  Island  of  St  Domingo,  and  to-day 
really  the  most  important  in  every  respect.  It  received  its 
name,  St  James,  in  honour  of  an  order  of  knights  in  Spain, 
and  was  founded  in  1504,  owing  to  its  vicinity  to  the 


Market  Square  of  Santiago. 

famous  fort  “ Concepcion  de  la  Vega,”  and  its  being 
about  half  way  between  that  place  and  the  port  of  Puerto 
Plata. 

As  has  already  been  shown  in  the  earlier  chapters,  it  has 
at  various  times  been  subjected  to  attacks  from  the  early 
French  and  buccaneers;  it  has  been  burned  down  by  fires  ; 


324 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


it  has  been  shaken  down  by  earthquakes  ; and  more  lately 
utterly  destroyed  by  Dessalines,  and  by  the  Spaniards  when 
they  left  the  island. 

It  is  situated  on  the  right  bank  of  the  Yaqui  river,  in  a 
savanna  that  extends  to  the  very  edge,  being  nearly  sur- 
rounded, as  above  stated,  with  hills  and  mountains ; and 
from  its  frequent  destructions,  it  possesses  now  no  building 
worthy  the  attention  particularly  of  the  traveller.  It  is 
built,  as  usual,  around  a large  plaza  or  square,  in,  which  is 
held  the  market,  the  largest  and  most  busy  one  we  had  seen, 
where  it  was  a most  amusing  and  instructive  sight  to  stroll 
and  see  the  country  people  with  their  products  of  every 
variety  for  sale. 

The  streets  are  quite  straight,  and  pretty  generally  run 
at  right  angles  to  each  other,  the  houses  in  the  main  part 
of  the  town  being  almost  entirely  constructed  of  stone, 
while  in  the  outskirts  they  consist  of  frame-work  or  the 
usual  palm-thatched  houses  of  the  country ; and  for  this 
reason,  seen  from  the  hill  at  the  back  of  the  town,  and 
looking  across  to  the  opposite  bank  of  the  river,  the  town 
presents  a rather  irregular  appearance. 

It  lies  in  the  very  heart  of  the  finest  agricultural  region 
of  the  island,  and  is  about  160  miles  from  the  capital,  with 
which  it  has  little  or  no  commercial  intercourse,  its  port 
proper  being  the  town  of  Puerto  Plata,  though  in  former 
days,  when  Monte  Cristo  was  an  organised  port,  its  traffic 
principally  went  there,  as  the  roads  there  are  better,  and 
easily  accessible  even  for  carts,  while  that  to  Puerto  Plata 
is  something  fearfully  difficult,  and  at  times  almost  im- 
possible, even  for  animals,  the  only  means  of  transport. 

The  climate  is  undoubted!}"  the  finest  in  the  island,  the 
• place  being  noted  for  its  salubrity,  and  it  now  possesses  a 
population  of  about  8000  inhabitants,  largely  composed  of 
whites,  the  majority  of  whom  are  as  intelligent  and  polislied 
as  can  be  met  with  anywhere. 

Being  situated  in  the  heart  of  the  tobacco  region,  San- 


SANTIAGO 


'GOLD  JfLINES. 


325 


tiago  is  a place  of  active  business,  and  controls  this  trade, 
many  of  the  merchants  being  simply  the  agents  of  the 
foreign  houses  established  at  Puerto  Plata  ; and  this  influ- 
ence, principally  German,  controls  this  part  of  the  traffic 
of  the  island. 

The  tobacco  raised  in  the  vicinity  seeks  this  place  as  its 
depot,  where  it  is  packed  on  the  backs  of  mules  or  horses, 
and,  in  charge  of  the  teamsters  who  specially  follow  this 
calling,  is  despatched  to  Puerto  Plata,  whence  it  is  shipped 
to  Hamburg. 

With  the  proposed  railroads  to  Samana  and  to  Monte 
Cristo,  Santiago  must  become  the  great  trading  centre  of 
the  island,  if  not  the  capital. 

In  addition  to  the  agricultural  products  of  the  region  of 
which  it  is  now  the  capital,  Santiago  has  been,  and  pro- 
bably always  will  be,  the  centre  of  the  great  mining  interests 
for  which  in  all  time  the  island  has  been  famous,  but  which 
have  never  yet  been  attempted  to  be  developed. 

About  these  mines  there  appears  to  be  no  really  reliable 
information,  but  the  geological  survey  now  being  carried 
on  by  Mr  W.  M.  Gabb  in  the  interests  of  a New  York 
company  will  throw  great  light  on  this  subject,  especially 
if  a work  proposed  by  Mr  Gabb,  and  for  which  he  has  had 
ample  opportunities  from  his  position  of  gaining  materials, 
shall  be  published.  It  will  not,  of  course,  be  to  the  interests 
of  the  company  to  make  known  all  they  know  about  such 
matters,  but  in  general  terms,  I may  state  as  Mr  Gabb’s 
opinion,  that  gold  occurs  scattered  over  a large  part  of  the 
north  flank  of  the  central  range  of  mountains  (south  side 
of  Cibao),  and  also  on  the  upper  waters  of  the  Jaina  river. 
The  gravel  is  rich  in  quality,  but  the  quantity  is  too  small 
over  any  given  area  to  make  it  of  great  value.  It  might 
be  placed  on  a par  with  the  class  of  mines  known  in  Cali- 
fornia as  Chinese  diggings,  and  will  not  pay  a white  man’s 
labour. 

Gold  quartz  veins  abound  higher  up  the  mountains. 


326 


SANTO  DO  MIN  00. 


above  all  these  placer  ” deposits,  but  their  quality  has 
yet  to  be  ascertained.  That  they  bear  gold  has  been  proven 
by  direct  examination,  and  by  the  inferential  proof  that 
the  gravel  deposits  derive  their  gold  from  them. 

Iron  occurs  in  paying  quantities  only  in  one  place,  the 
Maimon  river,  a south  branch  of  the  Yuna,  about  a hundred 
miles  from  Samana  Bay.  It  is  superb  in  quality  and  the 
position  of  the  deposit  with  reference  to  work,  but  the 
transportation  and  demand  questions  are  too  much  for  it 
now. 

Coal  prospects  are  bad,  such  as  are  found  being  of  poor 
quality,  and  appearing  only  in  two  or  three  inch  veins.. 

Professor  Blake,  the  geologist  to  the  United  States  Com- 
mission, who  traversed  the  island  from  St  Domingo  city  to 
Puerto  Plata,  reports  superficially  that  for  the  greater  part 
of  the  distance  between  the  Jaina  river  and  the  Vega  Real, 
we  traversed  a gold  region  comparing  favourably  in  its 
indications  of  the  metal  with  the  gold  regions  of  Georgia 
and  the  Carolinas. 

Some  portions  of  this  region  along  the  Jaina  were 
anciently  worked,  in  a rude  and  imperfect  manner,  by  the 
Indians  and  Spaniards.  Within  a few  miles  of  the  ruins 
of  the  ancient  city  of  Buenaventura,  but  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  Jaina,  there  are  ancient  pits  and  mining  shafts, 
partly  filled  up  and  overgrown,  known  among  the  people 
as  ‘ Puits  de  los  Indies  ’ (Indian  wells).  It  is  evident 
that  the  miners,  whoever  they  were,  followed  the  bed  of  a 
ravine  to  its  head,  and  then  sunk  pits  at  intervals,  pro- 
bably at  the  prolongation  of  the  placer,  and  excavated  the 
gravel  between  them,  in  the  same  manner  as  California 
miners  ‘ cayote  ’ their  claims.  There  are  doubtless  some 
hill  deposits  along  the  Jaina  that  would  pay  to  work,  if 
water  can  be  delivered  upon  them  without  too  great  an 
outlay. 

‘‘  There  is  no  lack  of  water  in  adjoining  streams,  and 
there  is  sufficient  fall  or  drainage  for  tailings;  . . . 


GRAIN  GOLD. 


327 


There  is  no  doubt  that  there  is  a gold  region  of  consider- 
able extent  and  promise  in  the  island,  but  I did  not  see  - 
anything  to  excite  great  enthusiasm  regarding  the  deposits, 
or  to  encourage  the  expectation  of  immediate  large  returns 
from  mining  operations  there.  There  is  enough,  however, 
visible  to  justify  the  labour  and  expense  of  carefully  pro- 
specting the  ground.  The  rocks  are  very  similar  to  those 
found  in  all  gold  regions.” 

Of  iron  ore  he  says,  “ There  is  abundance  all  along  the 
route  of  brown  iron  ore,  but  it  is  questionable  whether  it 
is  sufficiently  pure  to  make  pig  iron.” 

I may  say  here,  that  people  pretty  generally  state  there 
is  gold  in  abundance  throughout  all  this  region,  but  that  it 
needs  tranquillity  to  work  it  out  scientifically,  although, 
even  in  a rough  way,  it  pays  the  ordinary  labourer  to  wash 
it  out. 

We  were  informed  of  some  Americans  who  had  been  in 
the  interior  for  two  or  three  years,  but  they  being  very 
close  mouthed,  nothing  was  known  of  their  operations 
more  than  that  they  occasionally  came  down  for  provisions, 
which  they  paid  for  in  gold.  We  saw  specimens  of  the 
grain  gold  that  had  been  gathered,  and  it  is  the  same  that, 
having  been  assayed  at  the  United  States  mint,  showed  u 
fineness  of  0.946. 

I was  also  informed  by  a prominent  and  reliable  physician 
of  Santiago  that  many  of  the  country 'people  always  have 
more  or  less  grain  gold  in  their  possession,  and  that  there 
was  one  woman  in  particular  who  every  Saturday  came 
into  Santiago  to  sell  a certain  amount  of  gdld,  which,  from 
its  form  and  its  nearly  exact  quantity,  proved  the  regular 
result  of  a week’s  washing. 

So  much  for  modern  investigation.  Yet  both  history  and 
tradition  have  given  important  facts  on  this  subject ; for  as 
Lyonnet,  who  was  twice  sent  out  by  the  French  Minister 
of  Marine,  in  1809  says,  Not  a single  country  unites  within 
itself  a greater  variety  of  mines.  Nature  has  left  nothing  to 


328 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


desire  in  the  mineral  region ; gold  in  the  part  of  Santiago, 
and  in  the  region  of  the  Cibao ; silver  is  common  in  the 
vicinity  of  Puerto  Plata  and  Neyba ; a quarry  of  marble 
at  some  distance  from  St  Domingo  ; there  is  also  clay  for 
pottery,  porphyry,  alabaster.” 

We  have  it  on  record  by  Columbus  himself  that  the 
Indians  paid  a tribute  in  gold  on  this  island ; and  Oviedo, 
who  is  deemed  a reliable  historian  of  the  events  of  his  time, 
has  even  illustrated  his  description  of  gold-washing  with 


Gold- Washing.  (Oviedo.) 


drawings  of  the  natives  at  this  occupation,  the  process 
appearing  similar  enough  to  that  of  pan-washing  to-day. 

^ In  the  first  voyage  of  Columbus,  when  his  ship  struck  on 
a rock  at  La  I^Iavidad,  it  is  related  the  cacique  sympathised 
with  the  great  Admiral  so  much,  that,  among  other  things,  he 
presented  Columbus  with  a mask,  of  which  the  eyes,  the 
ears,  and  the  nose  were  made  of  solid  gold. 

When  the  mines  of  La  Vega  and  the  Cibao  had  been 
in  operation  some  time,  the  discovery  of  those  at  San 
Christobal  or  Buenaventura  (good  luck)  was  made,  and 


TEE  GIB  AO  MINES. 


329 


Bartholomew  Columbus,  going  there  in  May  1496  to 
examine  them,  established  a working  party. 

Although  as  early  as  1499  these  mines  are  spoken  of 
as  being  in  decadence,  it  is  yet  on  record  that  in  1502,  ac- 
cording to  Oviedo,  two  men,  G-aray  and  Diaz,  found  the 
most  wonderful  nugget  of  gold  which  has  ever  been  dis- 
covered in  any  mine;  it  weighed  200  ounces,  and  was 
valued  at  3600  dollars  of  the  time.  Romance  even  accom- 
panies this  statement ; for  it  is  related  the  lump  was  first 
discovered  by  an  Indian  woman  in  the  service  of  the  two 
above  named,  who  were  so  delighted  that  they  killed  a pig  to 
roast,  upon  which  to  feast  their  friends,  serving  it  up  on 
this  same  “ grain  ” of  gold  for  a dish,  and  of  which  they 
boasted  that  their  Majesties  had  never  dined  off  so  rich  a 
one.  Unfortunately  it  was  lost  in  that  gale  predicted  by 
Columbus,  it  having  been  purchased  by  Bobadilla  to 
send  to  Spain  in  the  fleet. 

Walton  in  his  time  states  that  the  poor  people  at  a 
rivulet  close  by,  after  heavy  rains,  continue  to  wash  the 
sand  they  collect  in  a small  calabash,  obtaining  often  an 
ounce  a day ; the  small  particles,  he  says,  being  dislodged 
by  the  mountain  torrent  from  the  great  mine,  the  old  vein 
of  which  is  now  fallen  in. 

But  it  was  the  famous  mines  of  the  “ Cibao  ” (the  Indian 
name  for  a stony  country)  which  were  the  first  that  afforded 
specimens  of  the  riches  of  the  country,  and  yielded  them 
the  most  treasure;  and  these  were  situated  in  the  centre  of 
the  island  near  La  Vega  and  Santiago,  bordering  on  the 
river  Janico;  while  in  the  mountains  that  enclose  the  valley 
of  Constanza  were  large  veins  of  a productive  nature,  large 
[)articles  being  washed  down  by  the  rains. 

MuRoz  states  that  Columbus  wished  to  satisfy  him- 
self of  the  richness  of  that  region,  and  accordingly,  in 
March  1494,  made  that  famous  march  by  the  Gentlemen’s 
Pass  (Puerto  de  los  Hidalgos)  into  this  region,  when  he 
was  presented  with  gold-dust  and  gold  in  grain  by  the 


330 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


cacique,  two  of  these  latter,  it  is  said,  weighing  more  than 
an  ounce. 

Walton  states  that  in  the  south,  at  Guaba  and  at 
Bahorico,  several  persons  clandestinely  enriched  them- 
selves without  ever  making  use  of  a tool,  the  maroons,  who 
at  that  time  occupied  that  section,  procuring  all  the  neces- 
sities they  wanted  with  the  gold  they  brought  down  to  the 
villages  with  them. 

I find  it  stated  that  in  1502,  although  the  working  of 
the  mines  temporarily  ceased,  it  was  not  from  lack  of  re- 
sults, but  only  from  the  difficulty  of  obtaining  labour  since 
the  order  portioning  out  the  Indians  had  been  revoked. 

In  1505,  however,  the  Governor  Ovando,  who,  it  is  well 
known,  had  pursued  a policy  opposed  to  this  order,  made 
his  peace  with  the  King  by  sending  home  as  his  share  from 
the  mines  of  La  Vega  and  Buenaventura  alone  460,000 
escudos  of  gold  per  year,  a sum  large  enough  to  make  the 
court  wink  at  his  transactions.  But  it  must  be  remem- 
bered also  that,  in  addition  to  this,  Ovando  carried  on  the 
government  and  made  expensive  improvements  out  of  the 
revenues  of  the  island,  and  as  the  cane  had  not  vet  become 
productive,  we  must  ‘suppose  the  yield  of  gold  was  large. 

This  is  corroborated  by  Herrera  the  historian,  who  alludes 
to  the  gold  from  the  mines  as  amounting  to  over  460,000 
dollars  per  annum  in  those  days,  and  that  not  counting  the 
grain-gold  surreptitiously  appropriated. 

Peter  Martyr,  who  had  also  good  opportunities  of  know- 
ing, says,  that  besides  silver,  copper,  and  iron,  the  mines 
produced,  in  his  time,  500,000  ducats  of  gold. 

Even  as  early  as  1502,  as  much  as  240,000  crowns  of  gold 
were  minted  at  the  old  town  of  La  Vega  from  the  mines  in 
the  Cibao ; and  the  towm  of  Cotuy,  in  those  days,  was 
generally  known  by  the  name  of  “ The  Mines,”  from  the 
fact  that  there  were  so  many  miners  living  there,  and  work- 
ing the  mines  in  its  vicinity.  Santiago,  it  is  said,  was  also 
at  one  time  inhabited  principally  by  goldsmiths. 


SILVER  MINES. 


331 


When  we  remember  that  all  these  above-named  sums 
were  abstracted  at  a time  when  metallurgy  was  almost  un- 
known, and  the  loss  excessive,  we  can  imagine  what  must 
have  been  the  original  richness  of  this  part  of  the  island ; 
and  it  remains  yet  to  be  seen,  by  practical  explorations  and 
workings,  if  these  are  exhausted. 

Some  authorities  state  that  in  1511  many  of  the  mines 
were  abandoned  from  want  of  labourers,  and  because  the 
working  of  the  cane  had  become  so  profitable.  That  there 
must  have  been  foundation  for  all  these  statements,  it  is 
given  as  a fact  that,  in  Ovaudo’s  time,  the  receipts  of  gold 
received  in  Spain  were  so  large,  that  the  news  spreading 
among  the  people,  there  were  not  vessels  enough  to  take 
out  the  emigrants  desiring  to  go  to  St  Domingo. 

In  1530,  when  the  decay  of  St  Domingo  had  already 
begun,  I find  the*  President  of  the  Royal  Court  remitting 
to  the  Emperor,  as  his  share  of  one-fifth  of  the  mines, 
$10,000  in  gold  and  fifty  measures  of  pearls,  at  the  same 
time  advising  him  that  they  had  discovered  in  the  island  a 
very  beautiful  mine  of  silver  and  several  mines  of  iron  ; the 
latter  being  judged,  in  Spain,  better  than  that  of  Biscay, 
although  these  mines  were  never  worked. 

Permission  coming  from  the  Emperor  to  work  these 
silver-mines,  so  much  silver  was  extracted,  that  permissiou 
was  also  granted  to  coin  reales  (ten-cent  pieces)  of  the 
value  of  those  in  Spain. 

As,  however,  the  wondrous  wealth  of  the  mines  of  Peru 
and  Mexico  became  known,  interest  seemed  to  be  lost  in 
those  of  St  Domingo  from  various  causes,  principally,  we 
may  suppose,  from  lack  of  labourers,  until,  in  1543,  all 
work  ceased  ; and  by  a royal  decree  Spain  ordered  that  all 
the  mines  should  be  closed,  the  execution  of  the  order  being 
intrusted  to  an  armed  force,  while  the  civil  officers  visited 
each  spot  and  denounced  the  most  severe  penalties  on  those 
who  should  attempt  to  work  them. 

But  when  the  island  had  reached  a state  of  almost 


332 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


absolute  decay,  there  yet  seems  always  to  have  been  more 
or  less  ore  of  various  kinds  taken  out ; and  I might  cite 
here  facts  from  Charlevoix,  personal  investigations  of  St 
Mery,  of  Soulastre,  of  Walton,  and  of  Valverde;  but,  to 
use  the  words  of  the  latter,  To  indicate  all  the  places 
where  are  to  be  found  the  mines  of  St  Domingo  is  impos- 
sible, because  many  have  not  been  discovered,  and  the 
memory  of  others  has  been  lost  .that  were  worked  at  the 
beginning.  The  island  contains,  however,  ranges  and  forests 
where  only  the'  montero  or  fugitive  negro  have  penetrated  ; 
mountains,  it  can  be  said,  where  human  foot  has  never  trod, 
consequently  there  are  many  to  discover.”  But  all  these 
authorities  give  place  and  date  to  gold  mines  and  dis- 
coveries. 

As,  however,  I have  fortunately  succeeded  in  seeing  the 
report  made  by  the  Commissioner,  Juan  Nieto,  sent  out 
by  the  Spanish  Government  in  1793,  and  who,  from  being 
the  mineralogist  to  his  Majesty,  is  entitled  to  confidence, 
it  will  be  best  to  accept  his  statements  concerning  the 
mines  of  the  island,  showing  not  only  that  there  are  very 
valuable  mines  in  the  island,  but  where  they  are.  The 
reader  will  find  it  in  the  Appendix. 

It  is  only  by  thus  gathering  our  information  from  various 
sources  and  periods  that  we  are  able  to  form  any  idea  of  the 
real  nature  of  this  wonderful  island.  Among  other  autho- 
rities, I may  quote  an  article  from  the  ‘‘Annales  de  Chimie,” 
by  Guyton,  who  says,  It  had  long  been  supposed  that 
platina  was  found  only  in  the  gold  mines  of  Santa  Fe  and 
Choco,  in  Peru.  Twenty  years  ago  there  was  a report  that 
some  had  been  obtained  from  a ferruginous  sand  in  St 
Domingo ; but  apparently  the  examination  of  this  was  not 
executed  so  as  to  give  decisive  results,  since  it  has  not  been 
published.  What  Mr  Percy  submitted  to  the  inspection  of  the 
Institute  in  February  1810,  leaves  no  doubt  of  the  existence 
of  this  metal  in  St  Domingo,  eastern  part.  It  exhibits 
precisely  the  same  characters  as  that  we  have  seen  from 


COPPER  MINES. 


333 


Spain.  It  is  found  principally  after  heavy  rains  in  the 
sands  of  the  Yaqui  river,  at  the  foot  of  the  mountains  of  the 
Cihao.” 

If  the  theory  be  true  that  all  these  islands  constitute  the 
ridges  of  one  vast  chain,  of  which  Cuba  and  Porto  Rico 
are  a part,  it  is  only  natural  to  suppose  that  the  same  veins 
of  ore  found  in  one  will  be  in  a greater  or  less  degree  found 
in  the  others ; and  though  there  is  no  regularly  opened 
mine  of  copper  in  St  Domingo,  yet  the  signs  are  that 
there  is  abundance  of  that  metal ; and  we  need  only  refer 
to  those  wonderful  copper-mines  of  the  Cobre  ” in 
eastern  Cuba  to  be  satisfied  that  this  ore  does  exist,  in 
paying  quantities,  on  these  islands.. 

Having  thus  gone,  at  some  length,  into  the  mining  pro- 
spects of  the  island,  we  need  only  again  refer  to  Santiago, 
to  say  that,  notwithstanding  what  had  been  said  about  the 
strong  anti-annexation  feeling  existing  there,  we  were  not 
able  to  discover  much  of  it.  Strolling  about  frequently 
alone,  in  stores,  and  among  the  people,  and  in  the  market, 
I confess  I was  much  astonished  to  find  the  sentiment  so 
generally  diffused  among  a class  of  people,  especially  those 
who,  one  would  think,  to  look  at  them  in  their  listless 
positions,  cared  about  nothing  but  being  let  alone.  Yet 
eyes  would  sparkle  and  faces  brighten  as  they  spoke  of 
having  a strong  Government.  The  secret  may  be  explained, 
perhaps,  by  my  experience  with  a fine-looking  old  yellow 
woman  in  the  market-place,  to  whom  I said — 

Well,  old  lady,  you  don’t  care  about  annexation,  1 
su])pose ; you  look  comfortable  enough  ? ” 

“ Yes ; I want  it  too,  more  than  anybody.” 

How  so  ?”  I asked,  noticing  that  she  looked  very  sad. 

Her  eyes  filled  with  tears  as  she  said,  ‘‘  Now  my  old 
man ’s  gone,  I want  my  boys  home  from  soldiering.”  And 
thi.s  seems  to  be  the  case  with  most  of  the  womenkind,  as 
they  complain  that,  with  constant  attemj)ts  at  revolution, 
there  is  no  surety  for  the  men  remaining  at  home. 


334 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


At  the  public  meeting  accorded  to  Mr  White,  the  elite  of 
the  people  of  the  Cibao  were  present ; and  I was  struck  by 
the  fine  forms  and  intellectual  heads  of  most  of  those 
present,  comprising  members  of  the  Church,  law,  medicine, 
and  the  leading  native  merchants. 

Eloquent  as  Mr  White  had  been  in  placing  before  the 
people  whom  we  had  hitherto  met  the  nature  of  his  mis- 
sion, he  seemed  to  be  more  than  ever  impressed  with  the 
responsibility  resting  upon  him,  especially  as  here  were 
represented  the  intellectual  men  of  the  island,  capable  of 
taking  any  position  demanded  of  them  by  society. 

Referring  to  their  sad  history,  to  their  revolutions,  and 
to  their  position  (or  lack  of  it)  as  an  independent  state,  he 
compared  their  past  with  their  future,  in  case  they  were 
admitted  as  a part  of  the  American  Union. 

Comparing  the  condition  of  the  island  as  he  saw  it  with 
what  it  had  been  described  to  him,  he  expressed  the  im- 
mense pleasure  he  had  received  in  their  beautiful  land,  and 
spoke  feelingly  of  the  wealth  and  happiness  that  would 
be  produced  naturally  by  their  alliance  with  some  strong 
power ; and  he  hoped,  for  their  sakes,  it  would  be  with  the 
United  States.  Explaining  fully  the  nature  of  our  Govern- 
ment, he  cautioned  them,  if  they  did  not  wish  to  become 
citizens  of  the  United  States,  it  was  now  time  to  express 
their  views,  which  they  could  all  do  there  openly  or  meet 
him  in  private;  but  that  they  must  remember,’ that  once 
part  of  the  United  States,  there  could  no  longer  be 
tolerated  discontent  and  uprising  against  their  rulers;  that 
a means  was  provided  and  a term  prescribed  when  ofiicers 
could  be  changed,  this  power  being  always  in  the  hands  of 
the  people ; and  that,  if  they  earnestly  and  honestly 
wished  to  enter  the  American  Union,  and  were  accepted, 
they  would  have  the  satisfaction  of  knowiug  that,  while 
they  thus  became  Americans,  they  would  none  the  less 
remain  Dominicans,  a name  of  which  they  seemed  so 
proud. 


ENTHUSIASM  OF  MEETING. 


335 


These . remarks  were  received  with  great  and  evident 
satisfaction,  and  every  one,  at  the  conclusion  of  his  speech, 
rushed  forward  to  take  the  Commissioner  by  the  hand, 
the  rest  of  us  coming  in,  also,  for  an  occasional  shake'* 
from  some  enthusiastic  ^‘man  and  brother.” 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 


Delightful  change  ! how  cool  the  breezes  blow, 
And  fan  the  sickly  moisture  from  my  brow  ! 

The  lungs  confess  their  balm  ; no  more  the  same. 
Lightness  and  vigour  renovate  the  frame.” 


From  Santiago  to  Monte  Cristo — The  Puerto  Plata  Road — 
Fording  the  Yaqui — Its  Bottom  Lands — The  Vega  again — A 
Dangerous  Insect — Polite  Guajiro’' — Tobacco  Culture — A 

Dry  Country  but  Fine  Clhnate — The  Amina  and  Mao  Rivers 
— Some  Tropical  Habits — Swimmmg  the  River  at  Guayubin 

* — A Faro  Bank  and  Hotel — Multiplicity  of  Generals — 
A Lofig  Ride  through  a Sterile  Country — The  Agave  Species 
— Monte  Cristo — Left  Alone  on  the  Island — Manza7ullo  Bay 
—The  Coimtry  South  of  the  Yaqui — The  Umnhabited  Region 
— Crocodiles  and  Iguanas. 

T^HEN  our  party  reached  Santiago,  it  was  found  that, 

* * owing  to  arrangements  with  the  other  Commissioners, 
Mr  White  would  not  have  time  to  accomplish  himself  all 
that  he  desired,  in  visiting  both  Puerto  Plata  and  the  land 
lying  to  the  north-west  of  Santiago  up  to  Manzanillo  Bay 
and  Monte  Cristo.  As  both  the  Doctor  and  myself  had 
already  visited  Puerto  Plata,  the  Commissioner  requested 
us  to  make  this  journey  overland,  and  report  to  him  at 
Monte  Cristo,  while  he  joined  the  ship  and  came  up  by  sea; 
which  arrangement  being  acceded  to,  our  preparations 
were  soon  made,  we  retaining  two  of  the  peons  (servants), 
with  the  necessary  stores  and  horses,  while  the  balance  of 
the  party  accompanied  Mr  White. 

General  Cacerees,  learning  our  intention,  with  great 


ROAD  TO  MONTE  CRISTO. 


337 


kindness  furnished  us  with  letters  to  all  the  authorities  in 
the  districts  in  which  we  expected  to  travel,  ordering  that 
every  facility  should  be  shown  us  for  prosecuting  our 
journey;  and  as  our  projected  trip  was  to  within  a few 
miles  of  the  Haytian  border,  on  which  there  was  constant 
fighting,  it  will  be  seen  the  orders  might  prove  of  good 
service  to  us. 

The  region  we  were  about  to  visit  is  famed  throughout 
the  island  as  being,  so  far  as  climate  and  healthfulness  are 
concerned,  a perfect  paradise,  the  only  requisite  lacking  to 
make  it  a Garden  of  Eden  being  a more  liberal  supply  of 
water. 

On  the  morning,  therefore,  of  March  3,  an  hour  or  two 
after  Mr  White  and  his  party  left  us,  we  took  our  way  out 
of  Santiago;  and  fording  the  Yaqui  river,  which  is  the 
same  stream  we  afterwards  find  at  Manzanillo,  struck  the 
broad  wide  road  that  leads  all  the  way  to  Monte  Cristo, 
and  which  is  said  to  be  the  onlv  continuous  road  in  the 

V 

island  upon  which  carts  can  be  drawn. 

We  found  the  road  dry  and  dusty,  the  soil  composed  of  a 
whitish  clay,  and  then  red  gravel  and  clay,  but  it  was  wide, 
free  from  mud,  well  shaded,  and  bordered  with  timber, 
and  could,  with  a little  care  and  expense,  be  made  into  a 
most  excellent  waggon-road  for  transporting  to  Monte 
Cristo'  the  produce  that  now  seeks  .Puerto  Plata  as  an 
outlet. 

Travelling  this  road  for  about  eight  miles  to  where  it 
turns  off  towards  Puerto  Plata,  we  found  the  country  so 
uninteresting  and  unsettled,  that  we  determined  to  try  the 
south  bank  of  the  Yaqui,  as  being  less  known  and  more 
interesting,  for  though  a longer  route,  it  runs  in  and  near 
the  fine  bottom  lands  of  the  Yaqui. 

Following,  therefore,  a small  creek,  we  struck  at  its 
mouth  the  main  river,  whose  banks  at  this  point  were  quite 
low,  the  river  being  about  100  yards  wide,  running  swiftly 
over  a gravelly  bed ; but  the  current  was  so  strong,  that 


338 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


we  had  to  change  direction  and  ride  our  horses  directly 
against  it,  thus  making  a long  sweep  across  the  river,  our 
guide  remaining  upon  the  shore  and  pointing  with  his 
finger  the  direction  we  were  to  keep.  Striking  the  other 
shore,  we  turned  our  horses’  heads  on  the  now  south  hank, 
and  continued  our  course  through  low  bottom  lands  well 
wooded,  and  which,  much  to  our  surprise,  we  found  to  be 
well  settled,  principally  by  negroes  or  mulattoes,  who 
busied  themselves  in  the  raising  principally  of  tobacco; 
the  field  of  plantain,  it  being  understood,  is  always  as 
necessary  an  adjunct  as  the  roof  of  the  house,  for  it  is  upon 
the  ‘^plantano”  that  the  Dominican  countryman  lives. 

We  found  the  people  along  this  section  generally  quite 
poor,  indifferent,  and  without  much  aim  or  hope  for  any- 
thing, except  just  to  live.  Occasionally  we  could  find  some 
intelligent  person  that  showed  more  signs  or  desires  for  im- 
provement. They  were  all,  however,  exceedingly  kind  and 
communicative  to  us.  We  find  nowhere  the  orange  tree 
cultivated,  nor  any  of  the  finer  bananas,  while  the  coffee 
and  the  cocoa  and  cacao  are  left  to  grow  wild  or  by 
accident. 

It  was  the  same  old  story. 

Would  not  all  these  things  grow  we  ask. 

0 yes,”  is  the  reply.  I suppose  they  would  if  they 
were  planted.’’ 

Why  don’t  you  grow  them  then  ? ” 

What  is  the  use  ? Who  wants  them  ? There  is  no 
market  for  them,  and  we  don’t  want  them.  We  have  all 
we  need  without  the  trouble.” 

Yet  all  these  alluvial  lands  were  rich  in  soil  and  forest 
growth,  and  the  tobacco  alone  that  could  be  raised  would 
amount  to  an  enormous  sum,  for  these  lands  are  of  that  low, 
moist  nature  that  fine  tobacco  requires,  and  similar  to  those 
in  the  famous  “ Vuelta  Abajo  of  Cuba. 

Riding  for  some  seven  miles  along  this  bottom  land  in  a 
fair  road  bordered  on  each  side  by  the  most  luxuriant  vege- 


I • ' 


SL-  ' " 


'.-•  > V"  ''  'fV^: 


i^‘(-  5^*'-'",  ••>*^^  ^ • '» • Hi<Vk<^  1^^, » ' ^1^  .'i^  V«'  “*"*'  ‘ ii**  '•*#  V ' ■ ■ » f*  ^£9 

t:'I  H'i t-‘  /'.J  r'^: ' . - 4*a^%'  t ■ ' '^ 

nvUV-  ' »;  . 'J  ,.  .t-.  !*  i*  i'CoMSf' ; • ■ ■ ' . ’1.  C ' • d 


CACTI  COUNTRY,  NEAR  MONTE  CRISTO. 


THE  CACTUS. 


339 


tation,  we  met  with  no  settlements  until  we  came  to 
Platanay,  which  was  simply  a congregation  of  frame  huts 
in  an  open  savanna,  the  population  apparently  consisting 
of  women  and  dogs. 

Our  afternoon  ride  brought  us  up  into  the  higher  land, 
away  from  the  bottom  land,  and  we  soon  had  evidence  of 
the  dry  nature  of  the  climate  of  this  part  of  the  island  in 
the  parched,  hard  nature  of  the  soil ; for  though  of  apparently 
good  clay,  it  was  baked  so  hard  by  the  hot  sun  as  to  seem 
like  stone,  the  country  being  almost  entirely  uninhabited, 
except  when  we  came  out  upon  some  savanna-like  place 
such  as  Platanay.  We  had  been  having,  even  in  the  bottom 
lands,  signs  of  the  cactus  in  many  forms,  but  now  we  found 
them  coming  almost  exclusively,  the  short  (espargato)  thick 
kind,  with  its  broad  prickly  leaves,  being  even  eaten  by 
the  cattle.  As  the  sun  was  getting  low  we  increased  our 
pace,  entering  upon  one  of  the  strangest  bits  of  land  with 
which  I have  ever  met.  In  many  places  the  path  wound 
up  by  some  strangely  formed  fissure  or  chaotic  abysss,  that 
at  a distance  looked  like  rock,  but  on  near  approach  proved 
to  be  clay,  that  from  long  dryness  had  split  and  cracked 
and  crumbled,  while  upon  the  level  plain  every  variety  of 
the  cactus  was  met  with,  growing  in  weird  and  strange 
confusion,  and  giving  with  their  strange  forms  and  cold  grey 
colours,  with  here  and  there  a dwarf  tree,  from  which  the 
dry  moss  hung  down  in  strange  festoons,  a spectral,  gloomy 
character  to  the  landscape. 

As  the  shades  of  night  quickly  fell,  we  came  upon  a rude 
out-of-the-way  cemetery,  which,  if  would  seem,  had  been 
fittingly  placed  here ; for  this  purgatory,  or  city  of  the  dead, 
.vas  a subject  worthy  of  Dore’s  pencil.  As  the  gloom  of 
night  closed  over  us,  we  felt  we  were  not  in  the  most 
enviable  position,  for,  riding  fast,  we  were  far  ahead  of  our 
servants  or  guides.  We  knew  not  the  road,  and  we  knew 
our  resting-place  for  the  night  must  still  be  some  distance 
off,  with  no  water  near,  either  for  ourselves  or  our  horses. 


340 


SANTO  DOMINGO, 


The  moon,  however,  coming  out  from  behind  the  clouds, 
enabled  us  to  see  the  road  or  path,  or  rather  one  of  many; 
but  luckily  taking  the  right  one  we  kept  on,  occasion- 
ally passing  through  some  wide,  level  plain,  upon  which 
stood  the  tall  rank  grass,  burnt  dry  by  the  sun,  and 
upon  which  we  saw,  now  and  then,  cattle,  large  and  fat, 
feeding. 

This  is  one  of  the  peculiarities  of  St  Domingo.  Traverse 
these  vast  savannas  in  mid-day,  and  you  see  not  a living 
thing;  but  as  soon  as  the  sun  goes  down,  you  find  coming- 
out  from  busb  and  wood  and  tree,  cattle,  horses,  mules,  and 
goats,  while  you  look  in  vain  for  the  house  of  the  owner. 
With  an  amount  of  sense  which  the  stranger  would  do  well 
to  imitate,  they  sleep  in  mid-day. 

It  is  my  belief,  that  in  this  one  article  alone,  the  people 
could  make  themselves  rich  by  raising  beef  and  hides  to 
send  to  the  northern  markets,  if  there  were  any  facilities 
for  doing  so ; for  cattle  have  always  increased  so  fast 
here,  even  without  care,  that  a hide  at  one  time  was  worth 
more  than  the  whole  carcass,  and  this  too  only  six  days 
from  New  York  markets,  with  meat  at  fancy  prices. 
And  there  is  really  no  drawback  to  this,  or  why  herd- 
ing should  not  be  carried  on  as  extensively  here  as  in 
Texas. 

Sometimes  a large  fly-  similar  to  the  cantharides,  when 
an  animal  is  wounded  seizes  upon  it,  and  fastening  itself  to 
the  sore  deposits  there  an  egg,  which  afterwards  breeds 
into  a maggot  that  gnaws  and  widens  the  wound,  and  finally 
deprives  the  animal  of  life. 

I have  seen  a cow  that  otherwise  was  perfect,  having 
torn  the  flesh  of  its  hind  leg,  was  being  gradually  killed  in 
this  way ; there  it  lay  without  being  able  to  move  any 
distance,  the  insects  having  actually  burrowed  into  the 
bone,  and  yet  no  one  thought  of  attempting  a cure,  although 
the  wound  was  like  a window,  so  easily  could  it  be  looked 
into. 


DOMINICAN  TOBACCO. 


341 


But  meeting  a Guajiro  ” who  was  returning  from  water 
with  liis  cattle,  we  were  in- 
formed as  to  our  correct 
road,  and  putting  spurs  to 
our  tired,  thirsty  horses,  we 
rode  rapidly  until  about  two 
hours  after  sunset,  and  after 
passing  several  dry  brooks 
and  canons,  we  came  out 
upon  a level  plain,  which, 
by  the  appearance  of  the 
grass  and  the  cattle,  we 
judged  produced  water,  and 
making  our  way  up  to  the 
only  house  in  sight,  w'e  dis- 
covered we  were  just  above 


A “Guajiro.” 


the  Yaqui,  on  high  table  land,  where,  finding  we  would  be 
allowed  to  swing  our  hammocks,  we  made  ourselves  as  com- 
fortable, pending  the  arrival  of  our  peons,  as  we  could. 

The  people  with  whom  we  had  stopped  were  more  than 
usually  intelligent.  Both  the  man  and  the  woman  were 
mulattoes  or  natives,  though  they  claimed  to  be  white, 
and  both  could  read  and  write.  They  were  much  in  favour 
of  annexation,  and  spoke  of  the  benefits  the  country  would 
derive  from  it.  Their  business  was  to  raise  tobacco  and 
graze  cattle,  which,  notwithstanding  the  drought,  they  said 
grew  fat  and  strong  feeding  on  the  leaves  of  the  espenosa. 


a species  of  cactus. 

To  my  inquiry  why  an  intelligent  man  like  him  did  not 
raise  better  tobacco,  and  improve  the  quality  of  it,  he 
replied:  “What’s  the  use?  Good,  bad,  or  indifferent, 
the  merchants  pay  just  the  same  ])rice  for  it;  there  is  no 
market  to  go  to  except  Hamburg,  and  Dominican  tobacco 
has  always  had  such  a bad  reputation  that  no  higher  price 
can  be  had  there  for  it.  If  we  could  go  into  another 
market  where,  when  the  grades  are  sorted,  a better  price 


342 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


would  be  paid  according  to  quality,  it  would  improve  us 
and  our  crops.” 

Although  it  was  very  dry  here,  as  they  thought  it,  yet 
they  could  always  raise  two  crops  a year,  one  of  tobacco, 
the  other  of  corn.  As  for  the  low  country,  he  said  he 
could  not  be  induced  to  change,  the  climate  up  here  being 
always  so  good,  in  which  his  wife  coincided.  We  found 
the  night  quite  cold  enough  even  with  two  blankets  in  our 
hammocks,  but  the  morning  air  when  we  arose  was  superb, 
fresh,  and  bracing,  and  as  we  came  from  our  bath  in  the 
Yaqui  we  were  prepared  to  believe  all  that  had  been  said 
of  this  paradise  of  a climate. 

For  months  and  months  it  never  rains  a drop,  and  two 
years  ago  for  one  whole  year  it  never  rained.  This  is  un- 
usual, for  they  have  their  regular  rains  almost  every  day  in 
July  and  August,  and  in  the  winter,  what  they  call  the 

Northers,”  it  rains  December,  January,  and  February. 

Leaving  here  at  an  early  hour  of  the  morning,  we  soon 
came  to  the  Amina  river,  a pleasant,  rapid-running  stream, 
and  after  striking  into  some  bottom  lands  we  came  to 
another  rapid  stream,  the  Mao,  both  of  which  empty  into 
the  Yaqui.  Both  of  these  we  forded,  the  banks  in  each 
instance  being  low  and  well  timbered,  the  bed  of  the 
stream  being  small,  clean  stones.  Penetrating  the  woods 
we  came  upon  a plateau,  upon  which  was  placed  the 
straggling  village  of  Mao,  an  assemblage  of  a dozen  or  so 
native  houses,  inhabited  by  mulatto-coloured  people  and 
some  negroes.  The  invariable  reply  to  our  question. 

What  do  you  raise  here  ?”  was  answered  by  “ Tobacco, 
sir.” 

‘‘  Won’t  fruits  grow,  and  cane,  and  coifee,  and  cocoa?” 
Oh,  yes  ; only  we  don’t  raise  them.” 

‘‘  Why  not?  ” I ask. 

Quien  sabe,  senor.”  (I  don’t  know.) 

We  make  a detour,  get  lost  in  the  bottom  lands  by  the 
river  bank,  stumbling  in  our  way  over  quite  good-sized 


TEE  VEGA  REAL 


343 


tobacccf  patches  and  plantation  fields,  and  finally,  being- 
gone  about  six  miles  out  of  the  way,  we  were  piloted  by  a 
native  Dominican,  he  having  the  kindness  to  ride  out  of 
his  wav  at  least  a mile  to  show  us  our  right  road. 

The  aspect  of  this  part  of  the  Vega  Real  is  very  peculiar 
and  changeable ; as  you  strike  the  main  stream  of  the 
Yaqui  everything  is  of  the  most  luxuriant  nature,  palms 
and  vines,  and  forest  trees,  covered  with  the  various  species 


The  Vega  Real. 

of  the  orchid,  shade  a surface  thick  with  grass  or  green- 
leaved  bush. 

Going  some  distance  away  from  the  river,  or  perhaps 
between  two  streams,  usually  emptying  into  the  Yaqui, 
though  now  dry,  the  plain  stretches  out  before  you,  covered 
with  stunted  vegetation  which  seems  dying  from  thirst ; 
while  as  we  noticed  in  the  distant  mountains  of  the  Monte 


344 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


Cristo  range  it  was  constantly  showering,  but  those  Flowers 
did  not,  strange  to  say,  extend  beyond  the  summit ; and  this 
I afterwards  discovered  to  be  an  actual  fact,  that  while  the 
north  side  is  receiving  abundance  of  rain  the  south  is  as 


constant!}^  being  parched  up  by  drought. 

The  new  road  to  which  we  had  been  piloted  we  found 
was  the  Real  Camino,”  which,  in  this  case,  means  some- 
thing, it  being  a wide,  dry  mud  road,  with  a sterile  tract 
of  land  on  each  side,  which  seemed  to  be  burnt  up  by  the 
hot  sun  and  the  lack  of  water.  The}"  talk  about  the  burn- 
ing suns  of  the 
desert,  but'  I 
think  it  would 
be  hard  to  rival 
this  middav  sun 
of  Dominica,  for 
the  road  was 
utterly  devoid  of 
shade;  there  was 
no  grass  upon 
which  to  feed  the 
horses,  and  no 
water  for  mile 
after  mile.  With 
my  pocket-hand- 
kerchief wrapped 
around  my  head 
Dominican  fash- 
ion, a huge  palm- 
leaf  hat  on  top, 
and  my  umbrella 
raised,  it  seemed 

Gigantic  Cactus.  Utterly  impossible 

to  avoid  the  rays 

of  the  sun ; so,  thinking  the  quicker  I was  out  of  it  the  better, 
I put  spurs  to  my  horse,  and,  leaving  the  Doctor  to  take  it 


A SIi:STA. 


345 


more  slowly,  I galloped  on  for  shade,  grass,  and  water. 
Hot  and  hotter  it  seemed  to  me  as  mile  after  mile  I rode 
quickly  on.  Nothing  but  dry  sterility ; not  a house,  not 
a human  being  to  he  seen  anywhere,  and  not  an  animal 
even,  except  a stray  comical-looking  jackass  nowand  then; 
while,  to  make  matters  worse,  every  brook  I came  to  was 
dry  as  a bone,  and  ‘‘earth,  earth  everywhere,  but  water 
none.”  I looked  at  the  cactus  in  its  varied  form,  manv 
species  of  which  were  perfectly  gigantic,  or  the  beautiful 
aloe  plant,  with  its  fresh  green  leaves  and  tall -stemmed 
flower,  and  wondered  how  they  stood  it  and  lived,  when, 
happily,  just  as  I was  beginning  to  despair,  I discovered 
ahead  of  me  a clump  of  trees,  with  a few  cattle  under 
them,  and  riding  up,  my  eyes  were  gladdened  by  the 
sight  of  a shallow,  clear  running  stream,  well  shaded 
by  dwarf  trees,  and  some  few  of  a larger  growth, 
but  no  grass  of  any  kind.  Here  were  gathered  a num- 
ber of  horses,  mules,  and  cattle,  all  standing  quietly 
beneath  the  trees  to  keep  out  of  the  hot  sun.  My  horse 
was  soon  tethered  after  watering,  and  hoisting  my  um- 
brella, I made  a shelter  of  it  in  the  sandy  bed  of  the 
stream,  stretching  myself  with  intense  relief  for  a siesta, 
taking  care  to  have  my  revolver  in  convenient  distance  in 
case  of  accident,  and  then  was  lost  in  sleep  until  disturbed 
by  our  party,  an  hour  afterwards,  just  arriving. 

Here  is  where  the  newcomer  fails  in  adapting  himself  to 
the  climate,  and  often  brings  upon  himself  sickness  and 
suffering ; for  in  place  of  following  the  example  of  the 
natives,  the  traveller  from  the  north  comes  here  full  of 
energy  and  life,  and  imagines  he  can  stand  anything,  and 
so,  perhaps,  he  can  for  a time ; but  he  will  eventually  find 
that  a wise  Providence  prescribes  the  life  he  ought  to  lead. 
Thus  a man,  wishing  to  work  or  travel,  should  be  out  and 
about  at  five  o’clock  in  the  morning,  and  at  ten  or  eleven 
should  shelter  himself  from  the  meridifin  sun  until  two  or 
three,  when  the  cool  breezes  of  the  afternoon  have  arrived, 


346 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


and  thus  he  can  easily  accomplish  quite  as  much  and  with 
more  comfort  than  in  the  north. 

Thus  learning  from  experience  what  we  had  been  fre- 
quently advised  of,  we  remained  until  the  strong  afternoon 
breeze  set  in,  and  then  started  for  Guayubin,  a small 
village  upon  the  Yaqui,  where  we  were  to  stop  for  the 
night. 

Night  overtook  us  before  we  entered  again  the.  rich 
bottom  lands  on  the  river ; but,  as  the  moon  was  bright, 
we  were  rather  glad  to  continue  our  journey  over  a country 
that  offered  us  nothing  in  the  way  of  scenery,  soil,  or 
inhabitants. 

Arriving,  however,  on  the  banks  of  the  Yaqui,  we  found 
a small  settlement,  and  were  informed  we  would  have  to 
canoe  the  river  ourselves  and  swim  our  horses,  and  that 
the  boatmen  were  on  the  other  side.  However,  we  rode 
directly  to  the  river  bank,  which  we  found  to  be  some 
fifteen  feet  high  and  steep,  and  here  we  sat  and  stood  for 
nearly  an  hour  waiting  for  the  ferrymen,  who  seemed  to  be 
carousing  on  the  other  side.  Our  shouts  moved  them  not. 
I bawled  to  them  that,  being  in  a hurry,  we  wanted  to 
cross,  at  which  they  seemed  to  be  much  amused ; even  my 
shouts  of  ‘^official  business”  and  ‘‘government  service” 
were  of  no  avail,  until  they  deemed  it  worth  while,  after  an 
hour  of  this  work,  to  come  across  for  us.  A man  may  be 
pardoned  if,  under  such  circumstances,  he  uses  strong  lan- 
guage ; and  I am  afraid  though  ours  was  good  Anglo- 
Saxon,  it  could  not  be  found  in  the  Shorter  Catechism. 

One  of  the  men,  we  found,  was  inebriated ; but,  as  they 
both  seemed  to  understand  their  business,  we  allowed  them 
to  unsaddle  our  horses,  which  they  led  down  to  the  river 
bank,  where  was  a large  dugout  or  canoe.  In  this  were 
placed  our  saddles ; we  stepped  in  also ; and  one  negro, 
taking  the  paddle  or  pole,  placed  himself  at  the  stern, 
while  the  other,  taking  the  halter  straps  of  the  two  horses 
in  his  hands,  placed  himself  at  the  bow.  Then  there  was 


CROSSING  THE  RIVER, 


347 


a row,  the  horses  pulled  and  backed,  and  the  canoe  rocked 
and  turned  till  I thought  we  should  get  a bath  also ; but 
finally,  with  shouts  and  pulls,  the  horses  were  got  into  the 
water  immediately  over  their  heads.  Then  the  swift  cur- 
rent took  us,  steered  by  the  paddle ; the  horses  snorted, 
and  plunged,  and  swam,  their  heads  being  supported  by 
the  negro  in  the  bow ; every  few  yards  we  came  to  a sort  of 
bay  or  shoal,  on  which  the  horses  were  allowed  to  get  their 
footing,  then  another  push  and  a swim,  and  so  on  to  the 
other  side.  Here,  a few  yards  from  the  shore,  we  had  to 
saddle  up,  as  the  canoe  could  go  no  farther;  and,  mounting 
our  wet,  tired  horses,  we  rode  up  the  bank,  where  we  found 
a guard  drawn  up,  this  seeming  to  be  an  advanced  post. 
A few  words  to  the  sergeant  and  the  use  of  the  GeneraTs 
name  gave  us  rapid  directions  for  the  village,  which  place 
we  soon  found,  much  to  our  gratification.  Having  a 
special  order  to  the  General  of  the  district,  and  asking  for 
his  house,  we  were  shown  to  the  centre  of  the  town,  where 
we  found  a low,  one-storied  house  of  two  rooms,  well  lit 
up.  Dismaunting,  we  showed  our  letter,  and  was  told  the 
General  was  not  there,  but  would  be  soon.  The  brother  of 
the  General  then  came  forward,  and  he  was  informed  we 
needed  shelter  for  ourselves  and  food  for  our  horses.  The 
house  was  placed  at  our  disposal  in  which  to  hang  up  our 
hammocks,  the  poverty  of  the  place,  he  said,  not  permitting 
him  to  offer  other  dbcommodations.  Wet,  tired,  and 
hungry,  we  tied  our  horses  and  entered.  The  first  room 
had  a billiard  table,  upon  which  some  persons  were  playing, 
while  behind  it,  in  the  corner,  was  a faro  bank  surrounded 
by  players.  Turning  from  this  room  we  were  ushered  into 
another  one,  where  already  two  hammocks  swung  and  a 
bed  was  placed.  We  were  too  tired  to  be  critical,  and  the 
ofier  of  some  hot  punch  made  of  eggs,  rum,  milk,  and  nut- 
meg, not  only  mollified  us,  but  furnished  us  what  we 
needed  in  the  shape  of  meat  and  drink,  as  we  were  by  this 
time  accustomed  to  short  rations. 


348 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


The  General,  Don  Frederico  Garcia,  accompanied  by 
several  others,  soon  made  his  appearance,  and  apologised 
for  his  inability  to  treat  us  better,  but  was  profuse  in  his 
offers  of  assistance.  He  seemed  to  be  a fine,  frank,  manly 
fellow,  quite  handsome,  and  every  inch  a soldier  in  his 
carriage.  He  immediately  presented  us  to  his  friends, 
whom  he  also  honoured  with  the  title  of  general.  This 
made  about  the  sixty-fifth  general  we  had  met  with  since 
we  had  been  upon  the  island ; but,  as  yet,  never  a com- 
pany of  soldiers  had  been  seen.  Ah!  well,  it  is  only  “ cosa 
Dominicana,”  I suppose. 

Our  baggage  having  arrived,  and  hammocks  hung,  we 
excused  ourselves  on  the  plea  of  fatigue,  and  tumbled  into 
our  bags,  where,  happily,  we  were  oblivious  of  everything. 
Bright  and  early  the  General  came  to  see  us,  and  finding 
us  determined  to  start  immediately,  kindly  gave  us  a dragoon 
to  show  us  the  road  and  take  us  to  his  (the  General’s) 
father’s,  half-way  on  the  road  to  Monte  Cristo,  where  we 
were  to  breakfast;  and  swallowing  our  coffee  and  bit  of 
bread,  we  were  soon  en  route following  the  river  for  some 
distance  ; then  leaving  behind  us  the  fine  tract  of  bottom- 
land in  which  Guayubin  is  situated,  we  were  soon  again 
upon  the  dry,  hard  soil  of  this  upper  country,  that  appears 
only  fit  to  grow  cacti  or  browse  goats,  innumerable  herds  of 
which  we  met  on  our  road. 

A sharp  ride  of  three  hours  brought  us  to  the  house  of 
Don  Ambrosio  Garcia,  the  father  of  the  General.  Here 
upon  a knoll,  standing  a little  way  back  from  the  roadside, 
was  the  plain  but  commodious  dwelling-house,  without  a 
blade  of  grass,  a tree,  or  even  a piazza  to  shelter  the 
occupants  from  the  sun ; but  such  a magnificent  site,  and 
still  more  superb  air,  made  amends  for  this  ; and  the  kindly 
way  in  which  Madam  received  us  and  bade  us  welcome  was 
extremely  pleasant.  Breakfast  was  soon  prepared  for  us, 
to  which  we  did  ample  justice.  We  had  hardly  finished  it 
when  Don  Ambrosio  arrived,  and  welcomed  us  to  his  house 


THE  COTTON  PLANT. 


349 


most  cordially.  He  had  just  come  in  two^ours  from  Monte 
Cnsto,  our  destination. 

Perhaps  if  the  isle  of  Dominica  were  peopled  entirely 
by  such  men  as  the  two  Garcias,  father  and  son,  it  would 
to-day  be  something  in  the  political  world ; for  here  was 
one  of  the  most  pleasant,  intelligent,  courtly  men  with 
whom  we  had  met.  His  grandfather  was  an  Englishman, 
his  mother  a Spaniard,  I believe;  but,  at  all  events,  he  was 
a warm  advocate  for  annexation,  which  would  be  the  salva- 
tion of  the  country,  in  his  opinion.  He  had  owned  this 
land  for  a lifetime,  and  would  not  change  it  for  any  place 
in  the  low  country.  The  wife,  who  had  been  born  and 
bred  in  Santiago,  was  of  the  same  opinion,  on  account 
of  its  extreme  healthfulness,  good  roads,  and  purity  of 
air. 

Don  Ambrosio  talked  about  the  dryness  of  the  soil  and 
the  scarcity  of  water,  and  then  took  us  out  to  his  canuco  or 
farm,  to  show  us  the  orange,  the  pea,  the  bean,  the  tomato, 
corn,  pumpkin,  squash,  a number  of  native  fruits,  and,  like 
a small  tree,  the  cotton  plant  growing  upon  what  he  and 
others  called  sterile  soil,because,  forsooth,  without  machinery, 
or  wells,  or  cisterns,  or  even  the  simplest  agricultural 
implements,  it  did  not  grow  the  -cane,  coffee,  and  cocoa, 
all  of  which  require  more  or  less  water. 

I asked  him,  did  he  ever  plough  the  land  ? He  replied, 
he  had  never  had  a plough,  and  didn’t  believe  there  was 
one  on  the  island  (which  was  true  enough);  but  that,  if  he 
had,  he  could  make  his  land  very  valuable  by  turning  the 
soil  in  the  rainy  season.  This,  he  said,  was  very  irregular ; 
but  they  generally  had  plenty  of  rain  throughout  the  year, 
though  at  times  it  was  very  dry.  Professor  Blake  and 
Major  Macgrue,  old  Californians,  have  since  told  me  that 
all  this  district,  from  what  they  have  seen,  resembles  very 
much  California;  and  that,  with  irrigation,  this  would  be 
first-rate  agricultural  land  for  any  and  everything.  But 
even  now  there  are  two  things  that  can  be  grown  there  that 


350 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


are  invaluable.  ? allude  to  the  cotton  plant,  which,  in 
place  of  being  a simple  bush  planted  from  the  seed  each 
year,  is  here  a tree,  growing  two  and  three  years,  which 


iiiliniil 


The  Cotton  Tree. 


W 

needs  only  to  be  trimmed  and  pruned  to  produce  a large 
yield  of  the  finest  cotton — quite  equal,  some  say,  to  the  sea 


VALLEY  OF  THE  YAQUL 


351 


island;  and  not  only  white  in  colour,  but  of  the  kind  known 
as  Nankeen. 

The  other  article  is  that  of  the  Cabulla  ” (Foucroya 
Cuhense  of  botanists),  a species  of  agave,  from  the  fibres 
of  which  they  get  an  article  of  hemp,  of  which  most  all  the 
rope  on  the  island  is  made,  and  which,  being  mixed  with 
“ sisal  ” hemp,  makes  splendid  rope.  Both  of  these  grow 
naturally  without  care  on  this  dry  land,  and  with  care 
and  cultivation  could  be  made  to  flourish  in  extensive 
plantations. 

All  of  this  apparently  sterile  region  is  the  home  of  the 
cactii,  of  which  I counted  more  than  a dozen  species,  while 
the  family  of  agaves  are  seen  in  an  immense  variety ; and 
.we  found  specimens  of  the  aloe  in  flower,  with  a stem  over 
fifteen  feet  high, — the  most  superb  specimens  we  had  ever 
seen. 

Don  Ambrosio  speaks  of  the  disputed  ground  partly  in 
possession  of  the  Haytians,  as  being  the  garden-spot  of  the 
island,  extending  across  to  Azua  on  the  frontier.  While  he 
described  the  entire  valley  of  the  Yaqui  as  consisting  of  a 
fertile  stripe  of  alluvial  lands  adjoining  the  river,  thence  a 
high  rolling  plain  extending  on  both  sides  to  the  base  of 
the  mountains ; the  lower  portion  of  the  rolling  plain, 
capable  of  irrigation,  and  with  irrigation  capable  of  produc- 
ing every  species  of  tropical  vegetation,  especially  sugar- 
cane. 

The  southern  slope  of  the  northern  hills  is  generally  dry 
for  about  fifty  miles  from  Monte  Cristo ; but  the  north  side 
of  the  southern  range  is  very  fertile.  All  of  these  dry  lands 
are,  however,  especially  valuable  for  cotton.  Of  course, 
during  the  wet  season,  the  whole  character  of  the  country 
is  changed ; everything  theu  becomes  bright,  fresh,  and 
green  ; and  this  is  about  equal  to  our  summer  and  spring, 
occurring  in  April,  May,  June,  and  July. 

Notwithstanding  these  dry  seasons,  the  cattle,  horses, 
and  mules  do  extremely  well,  for  the  region  is  remarkably 
27 


352 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


healthy,  and  the  former,  when  there  is  no  grass,  eat  the 
espargato. 

Refreshed  with  our  rest,  including  a siesta  in  the 
hammock,  we  left  late  in  the  afternoon  the  house  of  Garcia, 
where  we  had  been  so  hospitably  treated,  and  started  on 
our  journey  for  Monte  Cristo,  some  twelve  miles  off,  in  a 
country  of  the  same  character  we  were  now  in. 

As  the  sun  was  just  preparing  to  set  into  the  horizon, 
we  mounted  the  ridge  that  separated  us  from  the  sea,  and 
then  bursting  on  our  view  was  a superb  scene  indeed. 
From  the  high  point  on  which  we  stood  the  road* descended 
into  an  extensive  plain,  broken  a little  to  the  left  b}"  a low 
hill,  beyond  whose  crest  could  just  be  seen  the  roofs  of  the 
houses  in  the  village  of  Monte  Cristo,  the  land  stretching 
down  to  a sandy,  level  coast ; to  the  right,  the  plain,  through 
which  a small  stream  of  brackish  water  ran,  extended  to  a 
bold,  high  hill,  known  by  its  various  names.  La  Grange 
(the  Barn,  given  it  by  Columbus),  and  the  “ Morro,”  and 
which,  making  into  the  sea  in  front  of  the  town,  formed, 
with  another  strip  of  abrupt  land,  the  promontory,  inside 
of  which  was  the  spacious  bay  of  Monte  Cristo,  in  which 
now  rested  only  a few  fishing  boats,  where,  in  times  gone 
bv,  rode  merchant  vessels  from  other  climes. 

Descending  the  hill  by  a winding  road  we  entered  the 
little  village,  that  is  all  that  remains  of  the  once  populous, 
large,  and  important  town  of  Monte  Cristo,  now  simply  the 
dep6t  for  receiving  mahogany  and  other  woods  from  the 
neighbouring  country,  to  be  shipped  in  small  schooners  to 
Puerto  Plata,  whence  it  goes  to  the  European  markets. 
Here  we  were  hospitably  housed  in  the  warehouse  of  a 
German  merchant,  there  being  no  hotels  of  any  kind. 

We  had  hardly  reached  Monte  Cristo  when  we  found  the 
Nantasket  coming  into  the  harbour  with  Commissioner 
White  on  board,  and  after  remaining  only  long  enough  to 
get  some  fresh  provisions,  and  take  the  Doctor  on  board, 
she  steamed  out  of  the  harbour  en  route  for  home  via  Haytk 


MONTK  CRISTO  HAY. 


1 


MONTE  CRISTQ. 


353 


Although  I had  intended  to  investigate  the  island  more 
' fully  than  the  others,  it  was  not  without  considerable 
regret  that  I saw  my  companions  take  their  departure,  and 
leave  me  to  pursue  my  journey  alone ; for  the  pleasant 
intercourse  of  the  Commissioner  and  the  Doctor  had  made 
very  agreeable  a journey  through  these  tropic  wilds,  that 
would  otherwise  have  been  only  interesting.  But  the 
Doctor  did  his  best  to  leave  me  in  a cheerful  frame  of  mind, 
as  I saw  the  last  of  him  ( shallow  water  preventing  stepping 
from  shore  into  boat),  perched  upon  the  shoulders  of  a 
stalwart  sailor,  his  pockets  tilled  with  fruits  of  various 
kinds,  a bundle  of  native  hemp  in  one  hand,  while  the 
other  held  carefully  a superb  specimen  of  the  aloe  flower, 
his  umbrella  protruding  from  under  his  arm. 

And  so  our  pleasant  party  was  broken  up  ; the  many 
days  of  rough,  hard  journeying  over,  and  the  pleasant 
talk  we  had  at  our  jolly  mess  all  done ; and  I left  to  pursue 
my  further  investigations  all  alone. 

Although  the  present  town  of  Monte  Cristo  is  a place 
of  comparatively  little  importance,  not  being  an  open  port, 
and  the  population  only  a few  hundreds,  it  has  in  its  time, 
as  previously  mentioned,  in  the  past  history  of  St  Domingo 
occupied  a prominent  place,  and  one,  as  we  have  said,  likely 
again  to  be  occupied,  in  case  of  an  improvement  in  its 
affairs. 

It  is  stated  to  have  had  at  one  time  a population  ol 
26,000,  with  its  houses  well  built  of  stone,  while  upon 
the  prominent  points  around  were  quite  considerable  forts, 
not  a vestige  of  which  now  remain. 

In  the  time  when  the  Yaqui  also  emptied  its  waters  into 
the  bay,  there  was  no  difficulty  in  obtaining  fresh  water, 
whether  for  the  inhabitants  or  for  the' shipping  that  then 
frequented  the  port. 

From  the  fact  that  this  source  is  now  changed,  Man- 
zanillo has  become  more  of  a place  of  shelter  for  vessels, 
although  there  is  yet  in  that  bay  no  town,  and  it  is  more 


354 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


than  probable  that,  with  its  natural  advantages,  it  will  be- 
come a formidable  rival  to  Monte  Cristo. 

Both  of  these  places,  however,  are  the  natural  shipping 
points  of  an  immense  and  superb  tract  of  country  lying  to 
the  south  of  them. 

, Monte  Cristo  is  likely  to  prove  an  important  point  in  the 
island,  if  ever  the  enterprise  and  energy  that  American 
annexation  shall  bring  sets  in;  for  this  is  the  most  accessible 
point  from  the  interior  of  La  Yega  and  Santiago,  and,  with 
a road  made  over  which  waggons  could  go,  all  the  tobacco 
that  now  seeks  a market  upon  mule-back  by  the  fearful  path 
down  the  mountain  to  Puerto  Plata  would  come  here  for 
shipment.  A hundred  thousand  bales  of  tobacco  even  now 
find  their  way  to  market  each  year,  upon  wdiich  a tax  of  two 
to  three  dollars  per  bale  has  to  be  paid  for  transporting  it  the 
small  distance  of  sixty  miles — a business  that  in  old  times  was 
done  here  at  Monte  Cristo. 

Twelve  miles  west  of  Monte  Cristo  is  the  superb  harbour 
formed  by  the  Bay  of  Manzanillo,  with  clear  water,  the 
bottom  at  sixteen  fathoms  being  seen.  It  is  a bay  equal, 
or  even  better,  than  Samana,  though  perhaps  not  so  exten- 
sive, being  five  or  six  miles  wide,  and  seven  long,  having 
also  small  arms  and  coves.  In  places  the  water  is  so  deep 
that  vessels  can  anchor  with  their  bowsprits  touching  the 
shore. 

The  shores  are  well  wooded,  the  red  mangrove  predomina- 
ting, from  which  it  is  presumed  the  reputed  unhealthiness 
of  the  place  arises. 

There  is  abundance  of  rain  there,  and  the  great  river  of 
Yaqui,  which  runs  by  Santiago,  naturally  empties  into  this 
bay ; but  at  present  a lagoon  is  formed,  caused  by  obstruc- 
tions, sand,  snags,  &c.,  that  have  formed  all  the  way  down 
from  Peladero.  This  lagoon  extends  for  about  eight  miles 
square,  and  is  gradually  working  its  way  back  to  the 
interior,  covering  up  the  low  wooded  lands  in  its  vicinity, 
and  thus  forming  the  lagoon,. in  which  abound  innumerable 


i 


THE  CAY2fAE 


355 


fisli;  and  here  also  the  cayman,”  for  which  the  waters  of 
the  island  are  famous,  makes  his  home. 

Manzanillo  Bay  lies  in  a direction  from  north-west  to 
south-east,  and  extends  into  the  island  a distance  of  about 
ten  miles,  and  has  emptying  into  it  a number  of  streams  be- 


sides the  Yaqiii,  the  ])rincipal  one  of  which  is  the  Massacre, 
or  Daj aboil,  famous  for  its  pure  water. 

The  water  of  the  Yaqui  is  also  exceedingly  pure,  and  the 
lagoon  or  lake  formed  by  it  has  an  average  dei)th  of  live 
or  six  feet,  but  the  channel  varies  from  eight  to  fifteen  feet; 
so  that  steamers  might  easily  find  their  way  through  it, 
were  it  not  for  the  old  logwood  forests  through  which  the 
river  passes. 


356 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


Forcing  one’s  way  through  the  water-plants  and  swamp- 
timber,  yon  at  last  come  in  sight  of  the  river  Yaqui  itself, 
nearly  250  yards  wide  at  this  point,  with  its  waters  so  clear 
that  the  fishes  and  caymans  in  it  can  be  distinctly  seen. 

Originally  the  Yaqui  emptied  into  the  bay  at  Monte 
Cristo  also,  as  it  had  two  months,  but  it  has  now  become 
dammed  up,  as  above  described ; but  it  is  considered  feasible 
to  open  the  channel  again,  which  would  give  fresh  water 
to  Monte  Cristo,  and  restore  the  fertile  lands  in  immense 
quantities,  now  overflown  by  the  lagoon.  It  is  said  that 
the  river  can  be  made  navigable  for  flat-boats  and  small 
stern-wheelers  all  the  way  to  Santiago. 

Residents  in  this  vicinity  state  there  is  a natural  change 
going  on  at  this  mouth  of  the  river,  which  in  a few  years 
may  throw  it  back  to  its  natural  bed,  leading  out  by  Monte 
Cristo,  for  the  various  channels  are  now  being  entirely 
closed  up  by  the  numerous  trees  and  obstructions  that 
the  river  carries  down,  and  which  form  what  is  called  in 
Dominican  parlance  a balza  ” or  bay^  similar  to  those 
formed  in  the  Mississippi,  and  which  throws  the  natural 
course  of  the  river  into  the  woods  on  each  side. 

Both  sides  of  this  river,  from  the  lagoon  up  to  the 
Maguaco,  are  covered  with  logwood  tracts,  in  width  from 
one  to  three  miles,  the  wood  being  of  good  quality,  straight 
and  thick ; and  it  is  said  that,  working  it  economically,  and 
cutting  down  only  the  trees  of  larger  growth,  eight  to  ten 
thousand  tons  may  be  annually  extracted  from  this  quarter, 
as  the  trees  grow  very  fast.  The  difficulty  in  exporting 
this  article  at  present  is  the  distance  required  for  trans- 
portation, which,  with  the  workmen’s  wages,  makes  the 
expense  too  great. 

All  the  lands  south  of  the  Yaqui  bordering  the  river, 
from  Manzanillo  to  Guayubin,  are  extremely  fertile,  and  a 
number  of  small  settlements  are  scattered  throughout  the 
section.  Tobacco,  wax,  and  honey  aT*e  produced  in  abun- 
dance ; but  the  two  latter,  from  the  want  of  cooperage 


MAHOGANY  TREES. 


357 


and  easy  conveyance,  are  not  at  present  valuable  as  pro- 
ducts, though  immense  quantities  could  be  exported. 

The  sierra,”  or  range  of  mountains  that  extend  from 
the  southern  boundary  to  this  section,  and  that  run  nearly 
parallel  with  the  Yaqui  river,  furnish  abundance  of  maho- 
gany of  the  finest  kind. 

This  grows  in  manchas,”  as  it  is  called,  or  clumps  of  from 
fifteen  to  twenty  trees  close  together,  while  for  some  distance 
no  other  mahogany-trees  will  be  found ; and  it  is  according 
as  these  trees  are  more  or  less  convenient  to  water  or 
means  of  transport  that  they  are  cut  down.  For  this  reason, 
at  all  accessible  points  mahogany  has  become  somewhat 
rare,  but  in  the  interior,  even  at  short  distances  in  the 
impenetrable  forests,  there  is  abundance  of  this  valuable 
wood,  together  with  fustic,  lignum  vitge,  ebony,  and  many 
other  valuable  woods  hardly  known. 

Our  hardy  lumbermen  from  the  Middle  and  New  England 
States,  with  their  experience  and  sawmills,  would  find  a 
mine  of  gold  in  all  these  timbered  lands  of  St  Domingo, 
some  of  the  most  precious  and  choice  logs  having  at  times 
sold  in  England  as  high’  as  £100  ($500). 

The  present  mode  of  getting  out  this  timber  is  very  rude. 
A merchant,  for  example,  buys  the  right,  at  a trifling  sum, 
to  cut  down  in  certain  tracts  all  the  mahogany  he  can 
find.  Then  with  a part}’  he  penetrates  into  the  forest, 
and  at  the  most  accessible  point  selects  his  trees,  which 
are  cut  down,  and  divided  into  various  pieces,  according 
to  the  mode  of  transportation,  which  in  every  case  is 
exceedingly  difficult ; if  by  water,  then  the  logs  are  larger, 
but  most  generally  oxen  are  used  to  haul  the  small 
pieces  through  the  woods,  and  this  done,  even  then  it 
has  to  be  often  recut  into  smaller  pieces,  easy  to  carry  on 
mule-back ; and  it  is  no  uncommon  sight  to  see,  in 
the  woods  or  on  the  road,  trains  of  these  diminutive 
animals  each  with  a small  square  piece  of  mahogany  in  the 
straw  panniers  carried  on  each  side. 


358 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


Sometimes  the  wood  is  so  heavy  that,  in  water  trans- 
portation, it  sinks  ; and  again,  the  mud  is  so  deep,  it  can- 
not possibly  be  hauled  further,  and  is  therefore  left  on  the 
road  to  decay. 

All  of  this  territory  that  I have  been  describing  is  known 


The  Iguana. 


as  the  Despoblado  ” (uninhabited),  as,  being  near  to 
the  Haytian  frontier,  it  has  always  been  a desolated  ground, 
although  some  of  it  comprises  the  finest  land  in  the  island. 
The  soil  is  rich  enough  to  grow  sugar,  coffee,  rice,  aud 
tobacco  on  all  the  levels  ; the  hills  furnish  the  wood,  while 
in  the  savannas  the  cattle  can  be  raised  in  large  quantities. 


THE  IGUANA. 


359 


the  guinea-grass  growing  as  high  as  the  knee  of  a man  on 
horseback. 

The  cayman  on  all  these  rivers  is  said  to  abound,  while 
the  famous  iguana,”  a species  of  the  lizard  family,  not 
only  abounds,  but  is  said  here  to  become  dangerous  from  its 
great  size,  some  of  them  reaching  five  feet  in  length. 

A resident  described  them  to  me  as  being  more 
audacious  than  the  cayman,  though  not  to  be  compared  in 
length  or  strength  with  the  latter.  Anyhow,  I do  not  care 
to  meet  them  on  foot,  as  they  turn  round  like  a snake  ; while 
a man  is  all  right  in  the  face  of  an  alligator,  whose  only 
fearful  weapon  is  his  tail — the  claws  and  teeth  only  work 
afterwards ; but  this  cussed  old  iguana  jumps  about  like  a 
dog,  and  can  turn  round  ten  times  in  a minute.”  Its  fiesh, 
however,  is  eaten  as  a great  delicacy,  the  example  having 
been  set  by  the  early  Spaniards,  who  described  it  as  a 
serpent,  and  at  first  refused  to  touch  it;  but  the  Adelan- 
tado  ” (Bartholomew  Columbus)  being  enticed  by  the 
pleasantness  of  the  cacique’s  sister,  Anacaona,  determined  to 
taste  of  the  serpent.  But  when  he  felt  the  flesh  thereof  to 
be  so  delicate  to  his  tongue,  he  fell  to  without  fear, — an 
example  which  his  followers  seeing,”  &c. 

I saw  here  some  of  the  largest  terrapins  with  which  I 
have  ever  met,  and  they  are  found  in  abundance  in  the 
waters  of  all  parts  of  the  island.  Listening  to  the  account 
given  by  a merchant,  over  a barrelful  of  them,  of  the  mode 
of  their  capture,  I laughed  incredulouslj^,  and  said  it  was 
equal  to  St  Mery’s  story  of  the  dogs  of  the  island,  who, 
wishing  to  swim  the  rivers,  and  being  afraid  of  the  caymans, 
place  themselves  at  some  place  on  the  bank,  and  there  yelj) 
and  bark,  until  seeing  they  have  drawn  all  these  monsters 
to  one  place,  they  (the  dogs)  start  off  to  another  point  as 
hard  as  they  can  go,  and  there  safely  swim  across. 

^^Not  only,”  said  my  friend,  ‘‘can  I vouch  for  the  truth 
of  that  story,  but  I will  add  that  the  mules  often  resort  to 
that  artifice,  too,  to  get  across  the  rivers ; and  I have  seen 


360 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


them  do  it.”  Such  being  the  case,  I am  hound  to  believe 
his  account  of  terrapin-hunting  reliable,  more  especiallj'  as  I 
had  ocular  demonstration  that  the  terrapins  were  caught. 

These  gather  together  in  the  shallow  water  under  the 
crocodiles  or  caymans,  as  they  rest  with  their  hacks  exposed 
in  some  sunny  place  in  slumber. 

The  negro  women,  who  by  the  by  have  not  the  slightest 
fear  of  the  cayman,  knowing  this,  seek  these  sleeping 
monsters,  and  gently  tickling  them  on  the  belly,  cause 
them  to  turn  over,  when  the  women  quickly  seize  the 
terrapins  beneath. 


CHAPTEH  XIX. 


**  Favoured  of  Nature,  Eden  of  the  seas  ! 

Where  beauty,  health,  and  plenty  join  to  please  ! 
Clime  of  the  sun ! yet  fanned  with  cooling  air ! 
Brighter  than  summer,  yet  than  spring  more  fair  1 

. . . Let  industry  secure 

Wealth  to  thy  plains,  and  commerce  to  thy  shore  ! ” 


The  North  Coast  Line  from  Monte  Cristo  to  Puerto 
Plata, — Lack  'of  Water — Advantages  of  Irrigatiofi — Tobacco  . 
Preparation  — Dommican  Soldiers  a7id  Haytian  Battles  — 
Country  Hospitality — Used-up  Horses — Fresh  Start  — The 
“ Puerta  de  los  Hidalgos  ” — Bottom  Lands  of  the  Coast — Itn- 
promptu  Cooking — Old  Isabella — Laguna — Domestic  Econoniy 
— A Long  Ride — Played-out  Horse — The  Road  fro7n  Sa7itiago 
to  Puerto  Plata — The  Requeros — Rough  Acco77i7nodatio7is — 
Bad  Road  to  Puerto  Plata — Arrival  there  and  Depart7ire. 

WISHING  to  examine  the  country  lying  between  the 
Yaqui  river  and  the  coast,  and  extending  from  Monte 
Cristo  down  to  Puerto  Plata,  I took  my  leave  of  the  former 
place,  and  making  an  early  start,  began  my  journey  in  that 
direction,  although  I had  many  misgivings  about  my  horse 
and  those  of  my  attendants,  which,  from  their  long  and 
arduous  journeyings,  and  the  poor  food  with  which  they 
had  been  supplied,  showed  signs  of  giving  out. 

Strangely  enough,  although  corn  grows  in  abundance  at 
the  least  two  crops  in  the  year,  it  is  with  the  greatest 
difficulty  the  traveller  can  in  most  places  purchase  enough 
grain  with  which  to  feed  his  horse,  and  he  is  therefore 
compelled  to  trust  to  the  guinea-grass,  or  avail  himself  of 


362 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


patches  of  corn  planted  simply  for  fodder,  no  attention 
being  paid  to  the  grain.  Thus  the  poor  animals  are  worked 
and  starved  to  death,  never  being  groomed  or  attended  to, 
and  in  many  cases  it  is  simply  their  hardy  natures  that 
saves  them  from  a miserable  death. 

For  the  first  twenty-four  miles  my  road  was  the  same  as 
that  by  which  I had  come,  namely,  from  Monte  Cristo  to 
Guayubin.  Traversing  it  in  daytime,  I was  better  able  to 
see  the  country,  which,  as  I have  before  stated,  is  generally 
very  dry,  very  little  settled,  and  called  sterile,  though,  from 
what  I have  already  written,  it  will  be  seen  that  all  that  it 
needs  to  make  it  fertile  is  a simple  s}"stem  of  irrigation.  * 

About  twelve  miles  out  I met  our  friend,  Don  Frederico 
Garcia,  the  commandant  and  governor  of  the  province,  on 
his  way  up  to  Monte  Cristo,  and  thence  to  the  frontier  for 
a little  scout  against  Luperon.  He  was  accompanied  by 
quite  a number  of  distinguished  (?)  generals  and  others,  all 
mounted  on  horseback,  to  whom  I was  introduced  with 
much  formality.  We  had  some  pleasant  words  together; 
and  on  bidding  them  good-bye,  I saluted  General  Garcia, 
hoping  that  his  desires  might  be  soon  gratified,  and  that 
then  we  could  both  shake  hands  as  Americanos.”  God 
grant  it,”  he  said,  and  you  must  embrace  me  as  your 
friend  and  brother  anyhow ; ” whereupon,  spurring  his 

* While  in  England,  it  has  been  the  good  fortune  of  the  author  to  meet 
with  Lieutenant  Woodward  of  the  Koyal  Engineers,  now  acting  as  Assistant 
Commissioner  of  Irrigation  in  the  Island  of  Ce3don.  From  him  I learned  that 
many  parts  of  that  island  are  similar  to  those  of  St  Domingo,  but  that  by  a 
simple  system  of  irrigation  thousands  of  acres  of  land  that  had  been  considered 
as  worthless  and  sterile  have  been  rendered  fertile  and  productive,  by  bringing 
the  waters  of  the  various  rivers  over  the  land  at  certain  periods. 

This  has  been  easily  accomplished  by  erecting  dams  in  the  various  streams, 
which,  being  filled  during  the  season  of  high  water,  have  been  flooded  upon 
the  land  in  the  dry  season. 

This  system  could  be  easily  adapted  to  St  Domingo,  where  there  are  no 
lack  of  watercourses  ; and  so  naturally  adapted  are  their  banks  and  the 
nature  of  the  country  through  which  they  pass,  this  could  be  accomplished  at 
a very  trifling  expense  in  comparison  with  the  immense  value  of  the  lands 
they  would  thus  bring  under  luxuriant  cultivation. 


TOBACCO  PREPARATION. 


363 


horse  close  to  mine,  he  threw  his  arms  around  me  and  gave 
me  a most  hearty  embrace. 

Now  as  ^^Frederico”  is  a fine-looking,  handsome  white 
soldier,  this  little  ceremony  was  not  so  bad,  but  when  Gene- 
ral   , a stalwart  jet-black  negro,  pushed  his  horse  up  to 

mine,  and  said,  “ Yo  tambien  (I  also),  sir,”  I confess  I felt 
a little  weak  in  my  patriotism,  but  still  allowed  him  to  give 
me  a good  square  squeeze,  taking  care  to  avoid  the  threat- 
ened embraces  of  the  rest  of  the  party,  on  the  plea  that  my 
horse  was  a little  weak  and  tired,  and  I must  hurry  on ; so 
with  more  hand-shaking  and  hearty  good-byes,  we  parted 
the  best  friends  in  the  world. 

My  poor  horse,  fatigued  with  his  constant  journeyings 
on  the  island,  was  utterly  overcome  before  I reached 
Guayubin  by  the  heat  and  thirst,  which  latter  he  was 
entirely  unable  to  allay  from  want  of  water  the  whole  of 
this  distance.  On  arriving  near  the  bottom  lands  of  the 
Yaqui,  he  was  so  utterly  used  up,  that  I had  to  dismount 
and  lead  him  a mile  or  so  to  the  house  of  SeSor  Rodriguez, 
to  whom  I had  a short  note  of  introduction,  where,  by  the 
assistance  of  one  of  their  people,  he  was  conducted  slowly 
•to  a watering-place,  where  he  was  able  to  cool  his  mouth, 
now  parched  almost  to  dry  leather,  while  I availed  myself 
of  the  opportunity  of  taking  a short  siesta  in  the  ubi- 
quitous hammock,  pending  the  arrival  of  my  escort,  which 
I had  considerably  outdistanced.  As  all  of  Rodriguez’s 
family  were  away,  I sent  my  ‘^peons’’  on  to  Guayubin, 
only  a mile  or  two  farther,  to  order  my  mid-day  meal,  and 
see  if  it  were  possible  to  procure  fresh  horses,  as  all  of  those 
I had  were  almost  entirely  knocked  up. 

At  this  house  I had  the  chance  to  study  their  primitive 
way  of  preparing  the  tobacco  for  market  and  for  domestic 
cigar  manufacture ; it  is  of  the  most  rude  and  simple 
nature,  the  tobacco  being  merely  run  over  while  dry,  and 
piled  up  in  quantities  enough  to  fill  a ceroon,  without  regard 
.to  colour,  perfection,  or  quality  of  leaf,  all  being  stowed 


364 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


indiscriminately  in  a pile  inside  the  matting.  Yet,  with 
care,  the  tobacco  of  St  Domingo  can,  I believe,  be  made  as 
valuable  in  the  marts  of  commerce  as  that  of  Cuba.  Some 
of  that  I smoked  in  the  uplands  of  the  interior  was  quite 
as  high  flavoured  and  good  as  that  of  the  best  Vuelta  Abao, 
and  doubtless,  if  care  were  used  in  its  curing,  large  quau- 


Lizards. 


titles  would  be  equally  good,  that  are  now  only  passable, 
from  negligence  or  ignorance  in  preparation. 

Having  refreshed  myself  at  Guayubin,  I found  I could 
not  be  supplied  there  with  fresh  horses. 

The  secretary  of  the  General,  however,  who,  though  a 
negro,  seemed  to  be  master  of  several  languages,  advised 
me  to  go  on  a few  miles  farther  to  a place  called  Villa 
Lobo,”  where  there  was  a superior  Coronel  Commandant,’' 


DOMINICAN  SOLDIERS. 


365 


who  might  be  able  to  furnish  me  a dragoon  and  horses, 
and  to  whom  he  wrote  me  a note  of  introduction. 

Starting  off  my  escort,  therefore,  slowly,  I gave  instruc- 
tions to  my  guides  where  to  meet  me,  and  their  gait  being 
so  exceedingly  slow  and  tiresome,  I set  off  alone  at  a 
more  rapid  gait,  in  order  to  see' more  of  the  country  by 
daylight. 

It  is  a peculiar  feature  in  this  island  that  everywhere  in 
the  dryest  sections  the  moment  jmu  come  near  a water- 
course or  river  the  whole  aspect  of  the  country  changes 
from  dry  sterility  to  that  of  the  most  luxuriant  vegetation; 
so  that  the  traveller  in  these  dry  regions  usually  tells  his 
approach  to  water  bj^  the  gradually-improved  appearance 
of  the  vegetation  and  soil.  Thus  it  is  around  Guayubin  in 
every  direction,  for  near  it  are  some  of  the  best  lands  on 
the  island,  while  the  town  itself  is  situated  on  the  finest 
bottom  lands  bordering  the  river,  where  everything  grows 
of  which  it  is  possible  to  conceive. 

Leaving  again  the  town  behind  me,  I found,  as  I 
gradually  travelled  on,  the  country  to  fall  somewhat  back 
into  the  drv  and  sandv  nature  of  the  soil  about  Monte 
Cristo,  though  here  and  there  I came  across  patches  of 
tolerably  good  land. 

Not  a soul  did  I meet  nor  a living  creature  did  I see,  as 
I rode  on  mile  after  mile,  if  I except  those  lively  little 
fellows  the  lizards,  which,  of  every  size  and  colour,  con- 
stantly in  their  quick  nervous  manner  crossed  my  path,  or 
rushed  from  their  hiding-places  in  the  grassy  paths  of  the 
woods,  alarmed  by  my  horse’s  feet. 

Night  soon  overtook  me  on  my  lonely  road,  and  I was 
not  sorry  to  join  company  with  three  wild-looking  soldiers, 
as  they  informed  me  they  were  going  the  same  road — 
two  of  whom  were  on  foot,  the  third  being  mounted  on  a 
diminutive  jackass,  with  the  rations  and  arms  of  the  party. 
I kept  com{)any  witli  them  for  some  time  ; but  thinking  to 
make  time,  and  having  received  instructions  about  my  road. 


366 


SAJVTO  BOMIJVGO. 


I continued  on,  until,  in  entering  a wood)"  defile,  it  became 
so  dark  that  I mistook  the  white,  gravelly  bed  of  a dry 
stream  for  the  road,  up  which  I rode  some  distance,  over 
rocks,  jumping  trees,  and  struggling  against  branches 
overhead,  until  I finally  brought  up  against  the  precipitous 
bank ; but  the  moonlight  coming  to  my  assistance,  I dis- 
covered my  mistake,  and  retraced  my  steps  to  the  point 
where  I had  lost  the  road,  being  guided  thereto  by  the 
songs  of  the  soldiers,  who  had  come  up  and  were  passing 
on  ahead  of  me.  I soon  rejoined  them,  and  was  amused 
and  interested  by  their  accounts  of  soldier-life  in  St 
Domingo,  and  the  general  service  of  the  army.  There 
is  one  thing  to  be  said  about  these  Dominicans,  and  that  is, 
they  could,  with  drill  and  discipline,  be  made  the  best  of 
infantry  soldiers,  for  they  think  nothing  of  starting  off  and 
marching  their,  forty-five  to  sixty  miles  per  day,  day  in  and 
day  out,  apparently  without  any  fatigue,  and  on  food  that 
we  would  not  think  could  keep  body  and  soul  together.  As 
1 rode  alongside  the  mounted  one,  the  two  footmen  kept 
always  ahead,  singing  at  the  top  of  their  voices  some 
Dominican  refrain,  which  seemed  to  enliven  their  wearv 
journey. 

They  gave  me  some  amusing  accounts  of  their  fights 
with  the  Haytians,  and  seemed  to  hold  them  in  great. con- 
tempt, as  they  (the  Dominicans)  did  not  hesitate  to  attack 
with  the  odds  against  them  of  sometimes  five  to  one.  At 
the  time  I considered  this  as  braggadocio,  but  I was 
credibly  informed  by  a Haytian  general  that  this  was 
absolutely  the  fact,  as  the  Haytian  people  were  not  fond 
of  fighting,  and  thev  dreaded  the  machete  of  the  Domini- 
can  soldiers,  a sort  of  sword  with  which  all  Dominicans 
of  the  lower  ranks  are  armed,  whether  they  are  soldiers  or 
civilians. 

An  eye-witness  described  to  me,  in  amusing  terms, 
one  of  these  fights,  in  which  the  two  parties  approached 
each  shouting  with  all  their  might ; then  the  Haytians 


HAYTIAX  BATTLES. 


36T 


would  fire  in  the  air,  thinking  the  noise  would  scare  their 
opponents  ; but  the  latter,  drawing  their  swords, 
would  rush  in,  and  compel  the  Haytians  to  seek 
covert,  and  thus  sometimes  a whole  day  would 
be  spent  by  these  people,  to  the  number  of  several 
hundreds,  without  anv  one  being  hurt,  and  vet  it 
would  be  called  a great  battle,  each  side  claiming 
a victory.* 

Coming  to  a halt  in  a narrow  path  in  the  woods, 
the  party  informed  me  that,  turuing  a little  to 
the  left,  I would  come  to  the  place  of  which  I was 
in  search;  and  bidding  me  good-bye,  they  started 
ofi’,  leaving  me  under  their  instructions  to  find  myself 
in  front  of  a large  house  in  an  open  savanna,  before 
which  was  blazing  a large  fire,  and  about  which  were 
gathered  a number  of  soldiers.  Inquiring  for  the 
commandant,  I found,  with  my  usual  luck,  he 
had  gone  back  from  whence  I had  just  come,  but  that  his 
wife  was  there.  I asked  for  her,  when,  from  a crowd  of 
women  at  the  door,  there  arose  one  wlio  said  she  was  that 
lady.  Handing  her  the  note  and  telling  her  my  needs, 
she  remarked  that  she  could  notread  it;  that  there  were  no 
horses,  but  tliat  I was  welcome  to  make  mvself  as  comfort- 
able  as  I could.  As  the  prospects  were  not  very  attractive 
for  a long  stay,  I thanked  her  very  kindly,  and  having 
the  address  of  a well-to-do  planter  in  the  neighbourhood, 
I hired  a guide  to  show  me  the  way  to  his  house,  leaving 
word  with  my  peons  to  come  up  with  me. 

‘‘  Villa  Loba  ” I found  to  be  a large  scattered  settle- 


* The  author  happened  to  be  near  a place  where  there  was  a skirmish  in 
which  Luperon,  with  a party  of  some  ten  men,  came  very  near  being  cap- 
tured, being  compelled  to  hike  to  the  woods,  sevehil  of  his  party  being 
killed  or  captured,  as  was  also  his  horse  and  equipments  with  private  papers. 
The  whole  number  engaged  on  both  skies  was  not  over  twenty-five  men,  and 
yet  I saw  in  the  organ  of  Cabral,  as  well  as  in  some  American  papers,  an 
account  which  pur{)orted  to  be  that  of  a tremendous  battle,  in  which,  of 
course,  the  “ Patriot”  party  were  the  victors. 


368 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


ment  on  some  very  excellent  land,  most  of  the  smaller  huts 
being  occupied  by  negroes,  while  the  larger  places,  or 

canucos,”  were  inhabited  by  well-to-do  whites  or  mulat- 
toes.  In  a short  time  I arrived  at  the  house  I was  seeking, 
the  moon  happily  serving  to  show  us  our  road,  over  which 
it  was  only  by  beatings  and  spurring  of  the  guide  and 
myself  that  my  now  utterly  used-up  horse  was  conducted. 

No  sooner  had  I arrived  and  made  my  wants  known, 
than  I was  invited  in  the  most  hospitable  manner  to  dis 
mount,  enter,  and  make  myself  at  home,  my  poor  horse 
being  immediately  looked  after.  On  entering  the  house, 
I found  it  to  be  a substantial  wooden  building  in  the  usual 
fashion  of  the  country,  with  several  rooms,  the  main  one 
being  filled  with  quite  a number  of  women  of  all  ages, 
busying  themselves  by  candlelight  in  shelling  the  native 
white  and  red  bean,  or  frijole,”  of  the  country.  Of 
course  my  advent  created  great  interest,  and  they  chattered 
and  worked  at  a great  rate  until  the  arrival  of  my  peons 
and  horses  put  a finishing  touch  to  their  curiosity,  and 
they  all  }>repared  to  clear  up  the  room,*  that  I might 
swing  my  hammock  and  make  myself  comfortable  for  the 
night. 

I found  all  of  these  women  kind,  bright,  and  intelligent, 
with  a natural  dignity  and  refinement  quite  surprising  in 
people  of  their  habits  and  situation,  and  the  younger 
people  I found  could  read  and  write,  while  several  books 
of  poetry  in  Spanish,  and  one  or  two  illustrated  French 
magazines,  showed  some  disposition  for  and  power  of 
knowledge. 

Here  it  Vv^as  decided  that  my  present  horses  were  utterly 
unfit  to  prosecute  the  long  and  tedious  journey  I had  before 
me  to  Puerto  Plata,  and  I therefore  made  my  arrange- 
ments to  discharge  m3"  guide  Simon  and  the  horses  that  had 
come  all  the  way  with  us  from  St  Domingo  city,  m3"  host 
making  arrangements  to  send  me  in  the  morning  with  his 
brother  and  two  horses  to  the  old  town  of  Isabella  or  Laguna, 


HNi>IXV-UI«VII  OX!»IN' 


PRIMITIVE  SUGAR-MILL. 


369 


and  everything  being  ordered  for  an  early  start  in  the  morn- 
ing, I was  soon,  after  my  long  day’s  journey,  sound  in  the 
most  refreshing  of  slumbers  in  my  hammock. 

I found  in  conversation  with  mv  host  that,  like  all  these 


Primitive  Sugar- Mill. 


places,  tobacco  was  the  principal  product,  with  the  pla- 
tan o ” for  food ; but 
that  everything  could 
be  grown  easily  in  the 
way  of  sugar  - cane, 
coffee,  and  chocolate, 
to  say  nothing  of 
hundreds  of  smaller 
fruits  and  vegetables. 

I saw,  on  examining 
his  sugar-mill,  that  it 
was  of  the  rudest  de- 
scription, a simple 
‘‘trapiche”  or  wooden 
mill  of  thoee  upright  rollers  of  wood,  worked  by  a one- 


Sugar-Iioilcrs. 


370 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


horse  power,  the  juice  being  conducted  in  a rude  wooden 
trough  to  two  snaall  open-air  boilers  or  pans  of  rude  construc- 
tion, not  holding,  either  of  them,  over  ten  gallons  of  juice, 
and  from  this  there  was  manufactured  a limited  quantity 
of  rum  and  syrup  for  home  consumption ; and  these  were 
actually  the  only  kind  of  sugar-mills  I saw  in  operation 
in  any  part  of  my  journey ings  in  St  Domingo. 

These  people,  though  probably  of  the  most  intelligent 
country  class,  seemed  to  have  no  idea  of  improved  labour, 
of  beautifying  places,  of  increased  comfort,  or  of  solid,  sub- 
stantial, nourishing  food.  They  have  never  seen  any  better, 
they  know  no  better,  and  I doubt  if  they  desire  better, 
unless  example  is  set  before  them. 

I asked  my  host,  as  politely  as  I could,  so  as  not  to  give 
offence,  for  the  amount  I was  indebted  to  him  for  his 
hospitality,  the  food  of  my  horses,  &c. 

Senor,”  said  he,  I am  a plain  man;  I know  nothing 
of  the  customs  of  the  world,  and  how  a stranger  should  be 
treated  as  he  deserves  ; but  I do  what  I know  and  feel.  I 
have  no  account  against  you.  There,  you  see,  is  the  broad 
public  road ; it  comes  very  near  my  house,  from  which  you 
can  always  see  it.  Whenever  you  come  this  way,  and  you 
want  food  and  shelter  either  for  yourself  or  your  horses, 
believe  me  this  house  is  yours  just  as  much  as  it  is  mine, 
and  you  are  welcome.” 

So  with  a hearty  shake  of  the  hand,  and  laughing  good- 
byes from  eyes  and  lips  of  .the  bevy  of  women  at  the  door, 
I rode  off  in  charge  of  the  brother  of  my  host,  with  many 
‘‘  God  speeds  ” and  ‘‘  Pleasant  journeys.” 

And  this  has  invariably  been  my  experience  of  the 
country  people  of  St  Domingo.  Quiet  and  inoffensive, 
devoid  generally  of  education,  unaccustomed  to  the  ways  of 
the  world ; yet  they  have  always  shown  themselves  hospit- 
able to  a fault,  as  far  as  their  means  would  permit ; and 
their  natural  intelligence  and  instincts  are  so  good,  that 
any  one  would  be  quickly  undeceived  who  took  them  for 


PASS  OF  THE  CAVALIERS. 


371 


fools,  while  readily  receiving  a lesson  from  them  in  quiet 
good-breeding. 


I’uerta  de  los  Hidalgos  Pip'S  of  the  (,’aviilu  r>,. 


372 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


Our  road  led  through  a beautiful  rolling  country, 
gradually  ascending  in  its  general  tendency,  being  well 
wooded,  with  occasional  open  lands  ; but  the  entire  country 
being  well  adapted,  I should  think,  to  cane  and  coffee. 

There  are  two  roads  leading  from  this  section  over  the 
mountains  to  the  coast,  one  farther  to  the  west,  and  the 
other  the  famous  pass  of  Columbus,  the  “ Puerta  de  los 
Hidalgos”  (Pass  of  the  Cavaliers),  so  named  because  when 
Columbus  penetrated  to  the  interior  of  the  island,  he  came 
bj^  this  route,  then  the  only  one  known ; and  this  was  so 
difficult,  that  in  order  to  permit  their  horses  and  supplies 
to  be  got  through,  the  young  cavaliers  went  to  work,  and 
with  their  own  hands  removed  the  rocks  and  cut  away  the 
underbush  to  open  a passage  ; and  in  honour  of  the  energy 
manifested  b}^  these  young  soldiers,  it  received  the  above 
name.  It  was  the  first-made  road  in  the  New  World,  and, 
as  we  found  by  experience,  a fair  t}^e  of  the  mountain 
roads  of  St  Domingo. 

Soon  after  leaving  Don  Antonio’s,  we  had  struck  a 
gradually  ascending  country,  until  we  gained  the  mountain 
side,  and  struggled  up  nearly  to  the  top.  Here  a rocky 
path,  that  looked  as  if  it  might  be  the  bed  of  a mountain 
torrent,  offered-  us  the  only  means  of  descent;  and  this, 
the  guide  informed  me,  was  the  famous  pass.  Slipping  and 
scrambling,  now  almost  lying  down  on  the  horse’s  back,  or 
again  hugging  his  neck,  we  managed  to  get  down  somehow  : 
but  the  excitement  and  the.grandeur  of  the  scene  repaid  me 
for  the  apparent  danger. 

The  sides  were  mostly  precipitous,  while  huge  masses  of 
rock  lay  scattered  in  wild  confusion  here  and  there  in  our 
[)ath,  which  was  covered  on  each  side  with  trees  and 
bushes,  some  of  the  former  of  enormous  growth,  the 
branches  frequently  meeting  above  our  heads  in  such  a way 
as  almost  to  exclude  the  light  of  day.  Through  this  wild 
path  we  came  to  a turn  in  the  road,  which  exposed  to  our 
view,  above  the  openings  in  the  trees,  the  blue  ocean  of  the 


WILD  HOGS. 


373 


north  coast.  This  was  a peculiar  sight,  for  standing  as  we 
were  upon  the  top  of  the  mountain,  and  looking  over  the 
vast  extent  of  forest  that  intervened  between  us  and  the 
coast  line,  it  curiously  enough  brought  the  blue  waters  of 
the  sea  apparently  in  a line  with  the  tops  of  the  trees,  thus 
leading  one  almost  to  believe  the  intermediate  space  was 
some  vast  hollow  inside  of  an  immense  embankment.  » 

The  range  of  mountains  upon  which  we  now  were  are 
known  as  the  Sierra,  and  run  parallel  with  the  coast,  being 
of  limestone  formation,  and  with  rather  a scarcity  of  water, 
offering  no  attraction  to  the  miner.  From  its  summit  we 
now  gradually  descended  by  a rough  road  almost  to  the  sea- 
shore, to  the  house  of  a countryman.  We  had  passed 
mostly  thus  far  a highly  uneven,  wooded  country,  fairly 
watered,  until  now  we  were  on  the  bottom  lands  along  the 
coast,  where  we  met  with  plenty  of  natural  clearings  on  the 
hillside  or  in  the  bottoms.  Most  of  these  were  occupied 
by  settlers,  growing  tobacco,  coffee  (wild),  the  plantain, 
and  a great  deal  of  fine  cotton — fine  staple  and  good  length. 
One  of  these  places  presented  quite  an  American  appear- 
ance, the  house  having  piazzas,  and  the  first  grape-vine- 
covered  arbour  I had  seen  on  the  island.  The  soil  every- 
where was  of  the  best  black  loam,  unmistakable  in  its 
richness,  and  capable,  as  all  the  inhabitants  told  me,  of 
producing  everything  in  the  shape  of  vegetation. 

All  the  people  of  this  section  devote  themselves  principally 
to  the  tobacco  culture,  paying  no  attention  to  cattle, 
though  they  own  large  numbers  of  hogs.  These  are  allowed 
to  run  wild  and  take  care  of  themselves,  and  this  they  have 
learned  to  do  to  such  an  extent,  that  every  spot  where  there 
is  anything  planted  has  to  be  surrounded  with  a strong 
fence  of  withes  to  prevent  their  entrance.  The  woods  are 
full  of  these  strange-looking  animals,  generally  tall,  gaunt, 
and  wiry,  quite  savage  in  their  nature;  and,  as  they  rush 
out  on  the  traveller  as  he  rides  through  the  forest,  might 
easily  be  mistaken  for  the  peccary.  The  fiesh  of  these 


374 


SAXTO  DOMINGO. 


constitutes  the  only  meat  used  by  the  people  of  this 
section. 


Wild  Hogs. 

At  our  stopping-place  for  our  mid-day  meal,  I was  com- 
pelled to  fall  back  upon  my  own  resources,  as  the  guide  knew 
nothing  of  cooking  any  of  the  stores  I had  for  that  purpose  ; 
and  the  bright-eyed  hostess  of  the  house  where  we  stopped 
having  apologised  for  having  nothing  to  otfer,  and  her 
culinary  experience  being  confined  to  boiling  or  roasting  a 
banana,  or  frying  a piece  of  pork,  looked  with  interest  and 
astonishment  at  my  successful  operations  for  a meal,  until. 


IMMENSE  GROWTH  OF  TIMBER, 


375 


overcome  by  her  curiosity,  she  exclaimed,  “ Dios,  seSor 
(Lord,  sir),  but  you  are  a good  cook  ! ” 

The  sun  was  well  above  the  meridian  when  we  started  for 
our  night’s  destination — La  Laguna,  a settlement  just  the 
other  side  of  the  old  site  and  Bay  of  Isabella,  famous  as 
the  first  place  settled  on  the  island  by  Columbus.  Our 
road  still  lay  in  the  bottom  lands  of  the  woods,  the  main 
road  now  and  then  being  crossed  by  wide  open  swathes  in 
the  underbush  running  down  to  the  seaside,  used  for  roads 
by  the  mahogany-cutters  in  hauling  down  the  huge  logs  of 
that  wood,  fustic,  and  other  valuable  woods,  with  which  all 
this  tract  of  country  we  passed  through  abounded.  Many  ol 
these  pieces  of  wood  we  saw  left  half  buried  in  the  mud,  some 
of  the  heavy  rains  having  made  the  paths  so  muddy  that  it 
had  been  impossible  to  get  the  logs  to  the  coast  for  trans- 
portation and  shipment.  All  of  this  cutting  is  done  with 
the  rudest  of  implements,  no  saw  whatever  being  used,  and 
the  pieces  being  simply  hewn  into  rough  logs  of  a size 
suitable  for  transportation. 

This  shipping  of  mahogany  is  quite  a business  with  the 
coast  pQople,  as  they  haul  or  fioat  these  logs  down  to  some 
convenient  bay  or  inlet,  where  small  vessels  or  lighters 
convey  them  to  the  larger  ports  for  shipment  abroad ; and 
in  some  cases,  where  the  size  of  the  bay  permits  it,  the 
large  vessels  themselves  come  up  and  load  directly  at  the 
port.  All  of  this  soil  of  the  bottom  lands  appears  to  be  of 
the  richest  kind,  resembling  much  the  bottom  lands  of  the 
Lower  Mississippi,  and  equally  favourable,  I should  say, 
for  the  cultivation  of  the  cotton  crop. 

Timber  of  every  kind  was  met  with  in  this  region,  some 
of  which  was  of  immense  growth.  One  tree  that  we  saw, 
called  by  the  natives  “ Higo,”  had  projecting  from  its 
trunk,  higher  than  a man  could  reach,  some  twelve  huge 
buttresses,  and  such  was  the  spread  of  these,  that  a good 
sized  tree  was  growing  from  between  two  of  them. 

The  parasites  “ Haguey  ” and  “ Cupey  ” we  met  wdth  in 


376 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


Parasitical  Vines. 


great  number,  both 
in  • the  form  of  the 
newly  - grown  vine 
and  the  more  ma- 
tured tree,  while  the 
palm  of  every  species 
was  seen  at  every 
step.  A new  fra- 
grance saluted  my 
nostrils  in  the  most 
delicious  of  odours 
arising  from  the 
millions  of  a small 
flower  growing  on 
a bush,  and  called 
by  the  natives 
Aroma,”  resemb- 
ling much  in  its 
odour  our  lilac, 
though  the  aroma  is 
more  delicate,  the 
flower  being  of  a 
small  yellowish  red 
colour.  A pretty 
star -shaped  flower 
that  grew  in  pro- 
fusion also  attracted 
my  attention,  the 
guide  calling  it 
‘^DonaAnna.”  Late 
in  the  afternoon,  as 
we  were  within  a 
short  distance  of  the 
old  settlement  of 
Isabella,  I was 
tempted  by  its 


THE  TARANTULA  . 


377 


liistoric  associations  to  turn  aside  from  the  road  and  see 
what  remained  of  it.  There  was  absolutely  nothing  to 
repay  me  for  my  trouble,  the  place  possessing  no  natural 
beauty,  and  the  few  ruins  remaining  having  no  particular 
form  or  meaning,  being  mostly  covered  with  running  vines 
and  thick  vegetation.  With  much  difficulty  can  be  made 
out  where  has  run  originally  a small  village  street.  Still  it 
was  something  to  see  a place  that  was  the  first  settlement 
of  Europeans  on  the  American  continent,  a place  hallowed 
by  the  memories  of  association  that  Columbus’  actual 
presence  gave  to  it,  and  the  few  stones  lying  in  mixed 
heaps  perhaps  having  been  parts  of  walls  holding  up  the 
roof  under  which  he  himsel/  may  have  sat. 

In  such  places  the  tarantula  frequently  makes  its  home  ; 
and  here  for  the  first  and  only  time  I saw  one  of  those 
horrible-looking  spiders,  whose  numbers  and  bite  have 
been  so  much  overrated ; for  I was  told,  and  found  it  to  be 
the  case,  they  are  not  often  met  with;  and  if  they  do  occa- 
sionally succeed  in  stingingsome  careless  person,  their  bite 
is  only  painful,  and  never  dangerous. 

The  place  to-day  is  as  it  was  when  its  settlement  took 
place,  remarkable  for  its  unhealthiness,  a great  deal 
of  the  ‘^calentura” 
or  fever  of  the 
country  prevailing 
there,  which,  from 
its  situation,  I 
should  judge  could 
not  be  otherwise, 
as  it  is  upon  the 
side  of  a small 
river  emptying  into 
a small  bay,  the  shores  of  which  are  low  and  somewhat 
marshy. 

Night  overtook  us  before  we  came  to  the  settlement  (a 
very  scattered  one)  of  Laguna,  and  I had  the  misfortune 


378 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


to  find  also  that  the  planter  at  whose  house  I had  expected 
to  stay  was  absent  with  all  his  family,  and,  at  the  sugges- 
tion of  the  guide,  we  pushed  on  a mile  or  two  farther  to 
the  house  of  another  planter,  making  our  way  through 
dusky  ravines  and  thick-foliaged  covered  paths,  fording 
also  two  or  three  streams,  until,  tired  and  sleepy,  we 
were  gladdened  by  the  sight  of  lights  in  the  house  of  our 
destination. 

This  I found  to  be  a large  wooden  house,  set  back 
from  the  road  in  a large  savanna,  around  which  was  the 
usual  fence  of  the  country,  with — remarkable  to  me,  as 
I had  not  seen  one  before  in  all  my  travels — a large 
double  English  gate,  that  opened  and  shut  in  the  good 
old-fashioned  way,  instead  of  necessitating  our  taking 
down  about  twenty  poles  to  get  into  the  enclosure. 
The  occupant  of  the  house  was  a South  Carolina  mulatto, 
who  had  long  lived  out  here,  and  was  now  engaged 
in  trading  with  the  country  people  for  mahogany  and 
other  woods,  and  though  he  spoke  very  disparagingly 
of  the  habits  of  the  people,  he  himself  set  no  different 
example  to  them  in  his  person  and  habits,  for  his  estab- 
lishment offered  nothing  cleanly  or  attractive  in  its 
interior  or  exterior  arrangements.  His  wife  was  swinging 
in  a hammock,  sick  with  the  fever  she  told  me,  but  he 
said  she  was  only  ‘Splaying  off;”  and  judging  from  my 
after  observation  of  her  lazy,  filthy  ways,  I should  judge 
he  was  right. 

What  perfectly  helpless,  useless  people  these  women 
are,  many  of  them ! They  seem  to  be  so  utterly  ignorant 
of  everything  a woman  should  know.  Their  housekeeping 
amounts  to  nothing ; their  cooking,  simple  as  are  the 
viands,  is  vile,  and  they  appear  to  do  nothing  but  loll  in 
hammocks  and  smoke  cigars.  However,  I have  been  too 
long  in  Dominica  to  be  particular ; and  my  hammock  being- 
swung,  I am  soon  in  the  land  of  dreams. 

With  mornino:  comes  the  announcement  that  one  of  our 


IMPROMPTU  COOKING. 


379 


horses  is  knocked  up,  and  I must  hire  another  one,  which 
has  to  be  sent  for  to  some  distance  ; so,  availing  myself  of 
the  time,  I proceed  to  the  river  (Isabella)  bank,  and  have 
a most  delicious  bath  in  its  clear,  swift-running  waters, 
finishing  which,  I become  interested  in  the  food  question, 
as  nearly  twenty-four  hours  have  elapsed  without  my 
eating  anything. 

I have  nothing,”  was  the  reply  of  my  host  to  my 
question  about  food,  except  plantains  and  slapjacks  to 
give  you.”  How  slapjacks  are  very  well  in  the  abstract,  but 
when  they  are  offered  a hungry  man  as  the  subsistence 
upon  which  to  prosecute  a long  and  tiresome  journey,  they 
are  bad,  in  point  of  fact.  I therefore  suggested  that  I had 
some  remaining  stores  that  might  be  turned  to  account  if 
he  had  wherewith  to  cook  them.  He  had  the  means,  and 
they  were  at  my  disposal  to  cook  to  suit  me,  and  thinking 
this  was  the  safest  way  to  avoid  being  poisoned  by  boiled 
lard,  garlic,  &c.,  I became  immediately  “ chef  de  cuisine.” 

I think  my  readers  would  have  been  astonished  at  the  way 
my  material  was  converted  into  a Dominican . stew ; for 
rice,  sardines,  pickled  salmon,  canned  tomatoes,  stale 
bread,  peas,  claret  wine,  vermicelli,  pepper  and  salt,  and 
sauces  all  went  into  the  soup-kettle,  with  what  result  I 
leave  them  to  imagine,  when  I say  that,  after  disposing  of 
the  soup  from  this  olla  podrida,”  and  eating  a large 
quantity  of  its  more  solid  material,  the  balance  was  dis- 
posed of  by  every  man,  woman,  and  child  on  the  place,  who 
were  called  in  to  partake  of  the  most  luxurious  feast  they 
had  ever  seen;  in  fact,  my  guide  was  so  overcome  by  his 
share  in  the  disposition  of  the  viands,  that  he  informed  me 
confidentially  I was  the  best  cook  he  had  ever  seen,  and 
that  ^‘American  (?)  cookery  pleased  him  much.” 

God  help  us,  though  ! A man,  to  travel  in  this  country 
and  keep  his  life,  needs  to  be  a little  of  everything,  and  for 
these  people  any  good  square  meal  ” would  be  as  a new 
era  in  their  lives. 

20 


380 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


The  horse  arrives ; he  has  one  eye  and  a sore  back,  but 
his  four  legs  appear  good.  I have  no  choice ; I must  reach 
Puerto  Plata  before  next  day,  to  meet  the  expected  steamer, 
and  I am  told,  with  sharp  riding,  I can  get  there  by  mid- 
night, the  distance  being  about  forty  miles.  My  guide 
swears  it  is  impossible  ; I cannot  reach  there  until  late 
next  day ; the  road  is  infernal,  and  that  if  I want  to  break 

mv  neck,  all 
right,  go  on ; 
but  he  wishes  to 
preserve  his.  We 
have  much  talk, 
and  finally  start 
together.  I leave 
him  behind  on 
the  road  until 
my  horse  be- 
comes indiffer- 
ent to  the  spur, 
through  weak- 
ness, as  I think.  I try  coaxing,  no  use  ; kicking,  no  go.  I 
lead  him,  he  makes  me  pull  him ; and,  becoming  desperate, 
I lie  down  and  go  to  sleep  until  my  guide  rejoins  me.  I 
curse  him  and  the  horse , he  laughs,  and  says  it  is  an  old 
trick  of  the  horse  , he  is  lazy,  and  my  spur  not  sharp ; tells 
me  to  mount,  and  hands  me  a switch,  and,  presto,  w’hat  a 
change!  I have  just  time  to  say  Good-bye — to-morrow 
in  Puerto  Plata  ” — and  off  I start ; and  sure  enough  I never 
laid  eyes  on  that  guide  again  until  next  day  I found' him, 
late  in  the  day,  inquiring  for  a mad  American,  who,  he  was 
afraid,  had  come  to  grief  on  the  road. 

And  yet  that  was  one  of  the  most  enjoyable  rides  I had 
in  St  Domingo,  as  far  as  the  country  was  concerned ; foi 
beautiful  fields,  deep,  thick  woods,  good  grassy  slopes  ol 
road,  succeeded  by  rocky  precipices  and  mud  paths,  followed 
each  other  in  rapid  succession.  Now  I would  be  galloping 


Played  out. 


BAJABONITA  PJVER, 


381 


through  some  magnificent  sweep  of  tableland,  over  grassy 
paths  that  led  by  a tobacco,  plantain,  or  coffee  patchy  now 
I would  be  slowly  picking  my  way  down  to  some  rapid 
river  by  its  stony  and  precipitous  bank,  the  rapid  but  clear 
waters  of  which  had  to  be  forded,  sometimes  saddle-flaps 
deep;  then  again  I pulled  up  at  some  negro  ‘^bohio”  (hut) 
to  inquire  my  way — one  thing  never  ceasing,  and  that  was 
the  movement  of  my  switch  either  upon  the  body  of  the 
horse  or  before  his  eyes,  the  effect  being  good  in  either 
case.  Before  striking  the  Puerto  Plata  road  I counted  no 
less  than  ten  rivers  or  turns  of  rivers  that  I had  crossed. 

y 

the  water,  without  exception,  being  sweet,  clear,  and  cold, 
and  their  beds  usually  gravel  or  small  stone  ; the  banks, 
in  many  cases,  being  exceedingly  precipitous.  The  principal 
one  of  these,  and  that  I crossed  several  times,  was  the 
Bajabonita  or  Isabella,  whose  waters,  though  swift,  were 


On  tue  Haj.'ibonitii. 


generally  shallow,  thougli,  from  tlie  nature  of  its  banks,  it 


382 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


will  be  seen,  in  the  rainy  months,  it  can  become  like  most 
others,  very  deep.  In  all  of  this  north  coast  tract  of 
country,  from  its  rich  soil,  its  fine  climate,  abundance  of 
water,  and  general  capacity  to  produce  every  tropical  plant, 
I should  say  it  was  the  most  desirable  part  of  the  island, 
being  exposed  daily  to  the  refreshing  northern  trade-winds. 

Once  or  twice  I managed  to  lose  myself  in  the  multipli- 
city of  the  woodland  paths ; but  I was  always  set  right  in 
the  kindest  manner  by  the  simple  natives,  whether  black 
or  coloured.  I must  confess,  however,  their  ideas  of  dis- 
tance are  limited,  or  very  hard  to  extract  from  them.  For 
example : — 

How  far  is  Puerto  Plata  from  here  ? 

Whew  ! ” and  a long  whistle. 

Is  it  more  than  a league  ? ” 

‘^Yes,  sir.” 

More  than  two  leagues  ? ” 

Oh,  yes  ; more,  sir!  ” 

Carajo  ! is  it  five,  then  ? ” 

Well,  when  you  have  travelled  five  leagues  you  are 
pretty  (cerquita)  near  it.” 

Then  I get  mad,  perhaps,  and  say,  Is  it  one  day  or  two 
days’  journey  from  here  ? ” 

Oh,  no,  sir ; only  three  hours’  ride,”  which  is,  perhaps, 
equal  to  twelve  miles ; but  that  is  the  way  all  distances  are 
judged  on  the  island,  so  many  hours  from  one  place  to 
another. 

As  night  draws  on,  I find  myself  entering  the  main  road 
running  from  Santiago  to  Puerto  Plata,  just  below  the  high 
point  known  as  Altamira  (High  View).  The  scenery  is 
grand  in  the  extreme,  though  wild  and  picturesque ; great 
hills  stretch  away  on  every  side,  upon  the  tops  of  which  are 
gathered  the  heavy  clouds  that  forebode  a tropical  rain- 
storm, while  even  yet  the  sun  is  setting  in  magnificent 
glory.  The  road  itself  is  fearful ; a mere  ravine  of  melted 
clay,  with  rocks  of  all  sizes,  tossed  about  apparently  in' 


THE  REQUEROS. 


383 


volcanic  confusion.  Long  trains  of  mules,  laden  with 
tobacco  and  fruit  and  solid  bits  of  wood,  can  be  seen  here 
and  there  struggling,  or  falling,  or  picking  their  way  down 
the  road,  the  air  made  lively  by  the  sounds  of  the  requero 
(teamster)  as  he  curses,  directs,  or  implores  his  animals. 

Now  it  is  a shout  of  ‘‘  Bur-r-r-o  ” Oh,  jackass!  ”),  with 
a whack  of  his  stick,  or  perhaps  a scream  at  the  top  of  his 
voice  of  Ca-val-yo  ” You  fool  of  a horse  I ”),  accom- 
panied with  imprecations,  as  the  animal,  staggering  under 
its  heavy,  awkward  load,  struggles  from  a bed  of  mire  up 
to  its  very  belly,  or  slips  and  falls  upon  some  great  rock ; 
the  tune  being  entirely  changed  into  that  of  a lively  refrain 
by  the  swarthy  driver  as  he  and  his  mules  strike  some  little 
bit  of  road  barely  passable  and  level. 

This  is  a ludicrous  picture,  looking  at  it  in  our  way,  to 
see  these  long  trains  of  animals,  many  of  the  horses  not  as 
large  as  a good  sized  donkey,  come  struggling  under  their 
heavy  loads  through  the  mud,  attended  by  a swarthy,  tall, 
Indian-looking  fellow,  in  a broad-brimmed-hat,  shirt,  and 
pants,  and  with  a machete  (sabre)  almost  as  long  as  him- 
self strapped  about  his  body,  its  curious  scabbard  hiero- 
glyphically  marked,  ending  in  a turn  or  twist  similar  to  a 
lobster’s  claw ; but  on  these  little  horses,  and  with  these 
strange  men,  come  one  of  the  greatest  sources  of  the  wealth 
of  this  island.  These  requeros  are  a special  class,  who 
devote  themselves  to  the  carrying  trade  between  Puerto 
Plata  and  Santiago.  They  are  a*  wild,  rough  set  in  their 
manners,  and  many  of  them  said  to  be  very  wealthy ; but 
all  living  a frugal,  hardy  life,  and,  without  exception, 
honest  and  reliable.  In  Puerto  Plata,  merchants  told  me 
they  thought  nothing  of  calling  to  any  one  of  these  men 
passing  the  door,  and  handing  him  a roll  of  money,  say, 
‘‘  Give  that  to  So-and-so  in  Santiago.”  AVrite  the  direc- 
tion,” would  be  the  reply,  and  the  exact  money  never  failed 
to  be  properly  delivered. 

Nevertheless  there  is  fitting  occasion  here  for  the  inter- 


384 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


vention  of  the  Society  for  Prevention  of  Crnelty  to  Animals, 
for  these  patient  beasts  are  most  shockingly  treated,  beaten 
almost  to  death  when  wearied  with  their  heavy  loads,  or 
having  their  rude  pack-saddles  placed  upon  backs  that  are 
so  fearfully  raw,  a fresh  palm-leaf  needs  to  be  laid  on, 
even  to  bear  the  hitching  of  the  saddle. 

Darkness  and  the  pouring  rain  overtake  me  together 
half  way  down  the  mountain.  My  guide  and  baggage 
are  miles  behind,  and  will  not  probably  he  up  in  the  rain 
to-night.  I,  however,  struggle  and  fall  and  blunder  on, 
trusting  to  the  good  sense  of  my  horse  to  carry  me  through 
the  dangerous  places ; but  at  last,  after  sundry  mishaps,  I 
follow  the  advice  and  example  of  the  requeros,”  who 
have  halted  their  teams  to  await  either  moonlight  or  day- 
break. 

Seeing  a house  by  the  side  of  the  road,  I ride  up  and 
say— 

Buenas  noches  ” (good  night). 

Good  night,  senor.  Dismount.” 

I explain  how  I am  fixed,  and  am  invited  to  enter  and 
make  myself  as  comfortable  as  I can. 

The  same  old  story — a rude  house  on  splendid  land — a 
canuco  of  tobacco  and  plantains — not  a thing  to  eat  or  to 
drink,  in  fact,  and  I look  around  for  a place  to  sleep. 
Around  three  sides  of  the  house  runs  a wide  bench,  upon 
this,  one  after  another,  the  occupants  spread  their  beds  of 
undressed  hides,  and  in  a few  moments  are  snoring. 

I ask  for  a hammock,  which  luckily  they  have,  and  in 
which,  with  hat,  hoots,  and  clothing  still  on,  I throw  myself, 
covered  with  mud,  to  get  a night’s  rest. 

Day  breaks,  gloomy  and  damp.  My  horse  unfed,  except 
from  browsing  on  the  short  grass,  stands,  wet  from  head  to 
foot,  more  dead  than  alive,  while  I,  faute  de  mieux,” 
make  my  breakfast  off  an  orange  and  a cup  of  coffee — all 
that  my  shelter  affords. 

Saddling  up,  I am  soon  on  the  road  again,  and  the  sun 


CONfC'i  (,p  PLANTAIN  AND 


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•-"■'5«^' ^ .;::^ii 


PUERTO  PLATA. 


385 


coming  out,  dispels  the  rain  and  gloom.  All  Nature  smiles 
above  and  around ; but  in  my  path,  running  water,  mud, 
broken  rocks,  and  swollen  streams,  make  it  a narrow  and 
crooked  one  indeed ; team  after  team  I pass,  all  on  their 
way  to  Puerto  Plata  — horses,  mules,  men,  and  women 
covered  with  mud ; the  men  barefooted  and  in  shirts  and 
pants ; the  women  in  a simple  gown,  which,  rolled  up 
pannier  fashion  on  their  persons,  shows  more  of  their  form 
than  decency  requires. 

At  last,  from  the  mountain  side,  I get  a view  of  Puerto 
Plata  and  its  lovely  bay  far  down  in  the  plain  below. 
Visions  of  a hotel  rise  up  before  me — dreams  of  a breakfast 

a la  fourchette  ” come  quickly  in  my  mind,  to  say  nothing 
of  anticipated  delights  in  sporting  once  again  store 
clothes ; ” and  so  I whip  up  m}^  now  nearly  dead  horse, 
until,  attempting  to  pass  a dangerous-looking  quagmire, 
my  horse  rebels — whip  and  spur  no  use.  Then  two  little 
negroes  rush  out,  and  caution  me  not  to  go  there,  as  I can’t 
get  out.  They  point  to  another  place  that  looks  even  worse. 
I try  it,  but  my  horse  refuses  it,  even  under  pressure  of  spur 
and  whip. 

Now,  horse  sense”  is  considered  good  the  world  over: 
I have-  a great  respect  for  it.  Therefore  I dismounted, 
fixed  the  reins  to  the  cantle,  and  leaving  my  horse  to  his 
own  judgment,  I whacked  away  at  him,  until,  becoming 
desperate,  in  he  plunged  at  the  designated  spot,  which 
proved  to  be  a slough  of  liquid  mud,  breast  deep.  AVith 
fearful  struggles  he  went  through  to  the  other  side,  while  I 
picked  my  way  on  foot  through  the  prickly  hedge,  con- 
gratulating myself  on  not  having  absorbed  in  my  trousers 
and  boots  quantities  of  Dominican  mud. 

Never  did  town  look  so  charming  in  my  eyes  as  did 
Puerto  Plata  that  day,  and  it  was  truly  a haven  of  rest  to 
me  in  the  days  I passed  there  preparing  my  mails  for  the 
steamer,  after  whose  departure  I took  })assage  in  the 
Dominican  man-of-war  for  Monte  Cristo.  This  man-of-war 


386 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


is  simply  a large  fore-and-aft  schooner,  carrying  a gang  of 
thirty-five  men,  with  one  brass  six-pounder  gun,  which  the 
captain  frankly  told  me  he  was  afraid  to  fii’e  off,  fearful 
that  it  would  burst,”  or  open  the  seams  of  his  vessel. 
However,  we  had  a pleasant  sail  up  of  eight  hours  from 
Puerto  Plata  to  Monte  Cristo,  keeping  only  a short  distance 
from  the  shore,  and  affording  me  an  opportunity  of  seeing 
the  character  of  the  coast  of  the  interior  of  the  country 
through  which  I had  previously  passed. 


Point  Isabella. 


Cape  Isabella  now  loomed  out  low  and  sharp  against 
the  high  wooded  walls  that  formed  its  other  shore.  Enter- 
ing the  Bay  of  Monte  Cristo  in  a strong  gale  under  foresail 
and  jib,  we  found  a United  States  steamer,  the  Yantic;  and 
as  soon  as  we  anchored.  Captain  Carpenter  was  good  enough 
to  send  a boat  for  me,  and  I was  soon  on  board  with  a 
large  mail-bag  of  letters  for  the  officers  and  crew,  to  enjoy 
once  again  a Christian  dinner. 


CHAPTER  XX. 


“ The  image  of  the  jest  I ’ll  show 
You  here  at  large.” — Men'y  Wives  of  Windsor. 


] OURNEY  TO  Hayti — “ Cosa  Dommica  ” — Dauphin  Bay — Poor 
Accoi?imodatiofis — Tropic  Night  at  Sea — A Citban  Horror — 
Cape  Haytian  from  the  Sea — First  Experiences  in  Hayti — 
Haytiayi  Officials — Value  of  Haytian  Currency — Advantage 
of  being  supposed  a United  States  Comf?iissioner. 

AX  the  afternoon  of  the  27th  of  March,  finding  there 
^ was  a small  schooner  to  sail  that  night  for  Cape 
Haytian,  though  nominally  for  Turk’s  Island,  I engaged 
passage  in  her. 

Matters  were  all  arranged,  baggage  fully  prepared,  and 
the  authorities  notified  of  our  intention.  I was  fortunate 
in  having  for  my  compagnon  de  voyage  a Cuban  revolu- 
tionist, a colonel  in  the  insurrectionary  cavalry,  who,  having 
come  up  with  me  from  Puerto  Plata,  was  to  accompany  me 
to  Hayti,  and  thence  he  was  to  go  to  Jamaica. 

Our  passports  and  papers  were  pronounced  all  right  by 
the  commandant  at  Monte  Cristo,  who,  with  a thousand 
offers  of  service,  and  profuse  promises  that  we  could  count 
upon  him  under  any  circumstances,  bade  us  an  impressive 
good-bye — this  was  about  five  o’clock  in  tlie  afternoon. 

But  greater  enterprises  have  sometimes  failed  through 


388 


SANTO  DOMINGO, 


smaller  means  than  the  lack  of  a cart  {vide  the  saving  of 
Rome),  which  came  very  near  being  the  cause  of  our  plans 
failing. 

At  seven  o’clock,  being  all  ready,  we  desired  to  have  our 
rather  extensive  baggage  taken  in  a cart  down  to  the 
schooner’s  boat,  some  distance  from  the  village  ; but  upon 
sending  for  the  cart,  were  informed  that  no  vehicles  were 
allowed  to  go  through  the  town  from  sunset  in  the  evening 
until  daybreak  in  the  morning. 

Of  course,  we  thought  this  was  a mistake  as  far  as  we 
were  concerned,  and  accordingly  sent  word  to  the  com- 
mandant (the  same  above  alluded  to)  that  it  was  for  us 
and  our  baggage  that  the  cart  was  desired. 

Word  came  back  that  it  was  against  orders,  and  no  cart 
could  be  permitted  to  pass,  contrary  to  these  instructions, 
through  the  village. 

Our  host,  a well-known  merchant,  and  friend  of  the 
commandant,  went  himself  to  explain.  It  was  no  use,  he 
returned  unsuccessful. 

By  this  time  we  were  boiling  angry.  Here  was  a man 
who,  a few  hours  before,  had  vowed  he  would  do  anything  ; 
in  the  world  for  us,  and  now  refused  even  to  let  us  have  a ; 
cart,  and  to  him  I had  had  friendly  letters,  and  official  | 
letters  from  the  authorities,  too  ! i- 

By  Jove  ! it  was  too  much.  And  still  having  in  my  pos-  | 
session  a document  from  the  Governor  to  all  authorities,”  ( 
ordering  them  to  assist  me,  I ‘‘went  for”  the  command- 
ant, found  him  with  a crowd  in  a beer-shop,  and  calling 
him  out,  asked  him  what  this  all  meant.  He  vowed  again 
he  would  do  anything  in  the  world  for  me,  but  this  he 
couldn’t  do,  as  it  would  cost  him  his  straps.  i 

“ Do  you  see  this  paper?  ” I asked,  flirting  my  order  in  I 
his  face ; “ and  do  you  not  know  its  contents  ? ” I 

“Oh,  yes  ; but  I dare  not  give  you  the  cart.”  ^ 

“ I do  not  ask  it,  sir,”  I said;  “ I demand  it.  And  do  [ 
you  tell  me  that,  with  this  order,  sent  by  your  superior,  !_ 


DOMINICA  AND  HAYTL 


389 


who  is  directed  by  his  superior,  the  President  of  this  island, 
that  you,  a subordinate,  refuse  to  obey  it?  ” 

Well,  sir,  it  would  cost  me  my  position.” 

Never  mind  your  position.  Will  you  obey  it  or  not?  ” 
I growled  at  him. 

Well,  sir,  I will  give  you  the  cart,  but  it  is  I that  will 
suffer.  I do  it  on  my  responsibility,  and  I am  willing  to 
do  anything  to  serve  you.”  But  here  I cut  him  short, 
upon  which  he  directed  the  ofldcer  of  the  guard  to  accom- 
pany us  to  the  boat  with  the  cart — Cosa  Dominica  ! ” 

Getting  on  board  the  vessel,  we  found  her  to  be  a small 
fore-and-aft  schooner,  manned  by  a captain  and  three  men, 
all  Jamaica  negroes,  speaking  English,  the  cargo  consisting 
of  twelve  oxen,  which  completely  filled  the  small  hold. 

The  night  was  clear,  and  though  the  breeze  had  not  yet 
sprung  up,  anchor  was  quickly  weighed,  sails  set,  and  we 
slowly  dropped  out  with  the  current  from  the  Bay  of  Monte 
Cristo,  the  last  hail  being  from  Captain  Carpenter  of  the 
YantiCj  as  we  passed  under  her  stern,  wishing  me  a safe 
passage. 

Now,. although  no  open  war  is  declared  between  Dominica 
and  Hayti,  yet  such  are  the  relations  existing  between 
them,  that  no  vessel  is  cleared  from  the  ports  of  one  to 
those  of  the  other.  Consequently,  although  it  is  perfectly 
understood  by  the  authorities  where  this  schooner  comes 
from  and  goes  to,  her  papers  specify  that  she  sails  under 
the  English  flag  for  Turk’s  Island. 

Only  a few  days  before,  however,  a young  American 
merchant,  having  business  in  Hayti,  had  chartered  a small 
boat  to  take  him  up  to  Cape  Haytian,  or  the  Cape,”  as 
it  is  called,  some  United  States  despatches  being  sent  at 
the  same  time.  When  the  boat  arrived,  however,  at  the 
Cape,  the  owner  was  taken  and  imprisoned  for  several  days, 
being  finally  set  free,  and  told  to  return  to  Monte  Cristo, 
with  the  remark,  that  the  next  time  he  brought  American 
despatches  he  would  be  hung.  However,  we  are  slowly 


390 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


drifting  along  on  the  now  still  ocean,  not  a puff  of  air 
being  felt,  and  so  we  go  below  in  hope  to  use  the  pigeon- 
hole of  a cabin  for  sleeping.  Vain  hope  ! At  any  time  it 
is  small ; but  now,  with  the  heat  and  the  stench  from  twelve 
oxen  coming  through  the  partition,  we  are  driven  on  deck. 

Here  we  tried  to  sleep  on  the  narrow  space  by  the  com- 
panion-way, but  our  attempts  were  unsuccessful ; and  while 
dozing  I was  constantly  threatening  to  roll  off  into  the 
sea ; and  notwithstanding  the  captain  assured  me  that  I 
would  wake  up  before  ‘‘  touching  water,”  we  finally  amused 
ourselves  with  conversation. 

Long  hours  my  Cuban  friend  and  I passed  in  talk  about 
his  island  and  its  revolution,  with  the  prospects  of  its  con- 
tinuation and  success,  from  which  I gathered  their  prospects 
were  never  better,  and,  without  any  immediate  chance  of 
the  revolution  ending,  it  still  was  rather  increasing  than 
decreasing,  and  likely  to  be  prolonged  for  years  in  the 
section  of  the  island  of  which  they  are  now  masters. 

Seeing  that  I was  familiar  with  his  country,  he  confided 
to  me  man}^  details  of  the  revolution ; but  one  account  he 
gave  me  that  still  placid  night,  with  the  stars  looking  gently 
down  upon  the  same  calm  waters  that  washed  his  own 
sunny  isle,  I shall  not  forget. 

The  Colonel  had  been  sent,  when  quite  a young  man, 
first  to  England  and  then  to  Germany  to  be  educated, 
studying  in  both  these  places,  and  finally  in  France.  Pos- 
sessed of  large  means,  he  had  returned  to  Cuba  and 
entered  largely  into  business  just  before  the  breaking  out 
of  the  insurrection,  in  which  he  took  part  of  his  own  free 
will,  leaving  his  father,  an  old  man  of  many  years,  on  the 
plantation,  and  indifferent  to  the  cause. 

After  long,  long  months  of  absence  of  toil  and  fighting, 
the  Colonel,  it  so  happened,  was  passing  in  the  vicinity  of 
his  father’s  house ; and  halting  his  troop  at  a distance, 
not  wishing  to  compromise  his  father,  he  himself  sought 
an  interview,  which  he  succeeded  in  obtaining;  and  on 


A CUBAN  HORROR. 


391 


taking  his  departure,  with  a curious  presentiment,  he  asked 
the  old  man’s  blessing. 

Joining  his  troop,  they  rode  on  to  their  camping-place, 
in  which  they  had  hardly  been  installed  when  a messenger, 
an  old  servant  of  the  Colonel’s,  arrived  to  say  that  the 
Spaniards  having  shortly  after  followed  the  Colonel  to  his 
father’s  house,  had  accused  him  of  holding  communication 
with  his  son. 

The  old  man,  while  disowning  any  improper  motives, 
acknowledged  his  son  had  been  there  and  received  his 
blessing;  and  the  Spaniards,  infuriated  at  this  news,  set 
fire  to  the  out-buildings,  and  told  the  old  man  they  would 
kill  him. 

On  receiving  this  news  the  Colonel,  with  his  troop,  rode 
as  fast  as  their  horses  could  carry  them ; but  arrived  at 
the  plantation  too  late,  only  to  find 

‘‘  What  ? ” I asked,  as  soon  as  I saw  the  relator  had 
recovered  from  his  emotion. 

The  out-buildings  burned  to  the  ground,  and  in  the 
hall  of  my  father’s  house,  the  old  man  lying  with  his  skull 
split  open,  and  his  grey  hairs  soaking  up  the  blood ! ” 

Then  he  told  me  how  he  and  his  troop,  having  each 
taken  a solemn  oath,  followed  up  that  party  day  after  day, 
occasionally  capturing  a straggler,  until,  by  a successful 
ambush,  he  succeeded  in  capturing  the  whole  party,  some 
fourteen  in  number,  with  their  officer. 

“ What  became  of  them?  ” I inquired. 

Having  hung  them  to  as  many  trees,  we  passed  our 
sabres  through  their  bodies,  and  left  them  to  serve  as 
warnings.” 

Tired  out  watching  for  the  breezes  that  came  not,  we 
selected  the  softest  planks  on  deck  and  turned  over,  rather 
than  in,  to  sleep. 

Daybreak  found  us  still  off  Manzandlo  Bay,  “ a painted 
ship  upon  a painted  ocean,”  for  not  a breath  had  we  of 
wind : and  this  was  provoking  indeed,  for  the  Cape  is 


392 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


only  sixty  miles  from  Monte  Cristo,  and  the  voyage  is 
usually  made  in  a few  hours,  we  having  expected  to  reach 
there  by  daybreak;  and  not  a mouthful  of  food  of  any  kind 
was  there  on  board  that  we  could  possibly  swallow. 

As  the  sun  rose  the  wind  sprung  up  a little,  and  we 
slowly  gained  headway,  drifting  rather  than  sailing,  within 
sight  of  another  of  those  beautiful  bays  for  which  this 
island  is  famous,  that  of  Dauphin  Bay. 


Dauphin  Bay. 


This,  it  is  said,  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  ports  in  all 
8t  Domingo,  being  able  to  contain  a great  number  of 
vessels,  closed  as  in  a basin — the  entrance  being  gained 
by  a canal  only  a quarter  of  a league  from  side  to  side,  which, 
at  the  bottom,  opens  into  two  wide  bays,  where  are  several 
islets,  close  to  which  there  is  water  enough  to  careen  vessels  ; 
these  also  can  anchor  close  to  land.  The  bottom  is  good 
everywhere.  There  is  also  a river  emptying  there,  which, 
though  deep,  is  brackish. 

This  bay  is  on  Haytian  territory,  having  upon  its  shores 
a fort  known  as  Fort  Liberty,  which  forms  a frontier  post. 

About  eleven  o’clock  the  trade-winds  blew  fresh  and 
strong,  and  our  little  boat  flew  over  the  waters  like  a bird, 
until  the  prominent  hills  of  the  Haytian  shore  that  marked 


CAPE  HAYTIAN. 


393 


the  location  of  the  Cape  grew  bolder  and  bolder,  and  we 
could  even  see  the  white  walls  of  the  town  on  the  very  edo-e 
of  the  sea.  ° 

Twelve  o’clock  found  us  running  close  in  to  the  shore, 
examining  with  eager  interest  the  walls  of  the  old  Fort 
Picolet  at  the  very  entrance  of  the  bay,  until  a short  time 
after  found  us  at  anchor  directly  opposite  the  custom-house 
wharf,  with  mind  intent  on  shore  and  breakfast. 

Alas  ! vain  hopes.  It  was  the  hour  of  siesta ; offices  and 
stores  were  closed,  and  no  officials  were  seen. 

We  proposed  to  go  ashore  on  our  own  responsibility,  but 
to  this  the  captain  would  not  consent,  as  he  was  liable  to 


Cape  Haytian  from  the  Sea. 


a fine,  telling  us  we  must  wait  patiently  until  two  o’clock, 
when  the  officers  would  be  on  board. 

To  us,  with  hungry  stomachs,  the  minutes  seemed  like 
hours  ; but  at  last — oh,  happy  sight ! — there  put  out  from 
the  captain  of  the  port’s  office,  a mile  up  the  beach,  the 
customs  boat.  Nearer,  yet  nearer  came  the  boat,  until, 
about  opposite  the  custom-house,  it  put  in  there — right 
30 


394 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


■ under  our  very  eyes,  and  this,  too,  after  our  waiting  nearly 
two  hours ! 

Ah ! dear  reader,  did  you  ever  hear  any  real,  right-down 
honest  swearing?  If  not,  then  you  should  have  been  on 
board  our  schooner  that  moment.  We  had  barely  recovered 
our  breath  when  the  boat  at  last  came  oflP  to  us — a boat  big 
enough  for  the  cutter  of  a frigate,  with  the'  crew  of  a lame 
negro,  a small  boy,  and  a half  small  boy,  while  in  the  stern, 
in  the  shelter  of  a torn  rag  tied  to  a broken  pole,  sat  two 
young,  gaping  fellows,  with  sallow  complexions,  who  we 
were  told  were  the  officers. 

The  sarcasm  of  my  remark  to  them,  That  their  break- 
fast must  have  been  a good  one,  they  were  so  long  at  it,” 

I am  afraid  was  lost  upon 
them,  as  we  hurried  into 
their  boat  to  be  pulled 
up  to  the  landing  of 
the  afore  - mentioned 
captain  of  the  port. 
Here  we  were  received 
by  another  pallid  speci- 
men of  humanity  in 
the  shape  of  an  old, 
weazen-faced,  dried-up 
official,  who,  with  a slow 
and  stooping  gait,  pot- 
tered around,  until,  reck- 
less with  hunger  and 
rage,  we  howled  at  him 
to  hurry  up  his  move- 
ments, as  we  were  nearly 
famished.  I thrust  my 
passport  in  his  face ; 
he  asked  me  my  name  ; 
I told  him  to  read  it; 
he  said  we  must  wait  for  his  secretary; 


The  Nondescript. 


we  swore  we 


EXPERIENCES  IN  HAYTI. 


395 


wouldn^t — we  wanted  our  Consul  and  our  breakfast; 
until,  poor  man ! frantic  with  indecision,  he  commenced 
writing  our  names  down  on  stray  scraps  of  paper,  and  then 
calling  a nondescript  sort  of  youth,  who  happened  to  be 
passing  by,  bade  us  go  with  him  to  the  General  de  la 
Place.” 

If  ever  there  was  murder  near  being  committed,  it  was 
upon  that  youth  that  morning.  Up  one  street  and  down 
another  in  the  hot  sun,  by  piles  of  ruins  overgrown  with 
vines,  through  streets  that  looked  as  if  there  were  no  sound 
habitation  in  them,  until,  hot,  hungry,  and  savage,  he 
brought  us  back  to  within  a square  or  two  of  whence 
we  started,  to  the  office  of  the  government  interpreter; 
where,  thinking  this  was  a ruse  for  fees,  we  vowed  we 
could  talk  every  language  under  the  sun,  and  didn’t  want 
his  services ; but  the  captain  of  the  schooner  it  seemed 
did. 

Then  that  youth  made  a sign  to  follow  him  again,  but  I 
laid  my  hands  upon  him  and  asked  him  “ Did  he  wish  to 
live  any  longer  He  bowed  a scared  assent,  and  muttered 
something  like  General  de  la  Place;  ” but  I made  him 
understand  his  only  hope  consisted  in  getting  us  there  by 
the  shortest  route.  He  ‘‘  lived  the  other  side  of  the  town,” 
was  his  reply. 

Yes,  I should  think  he  did,  that  mahogany-coloured, 
bald-headed,  spectacled,  wiry  old  cuss,  with  his  begilded 
old  swallow-tailed  uniform  coat;  and  he  might  just  as  well 
have  gone  up  to  the  top  of  the  mountain  with  his  office 
as  far  as  we  were  concerned,  for  we  couldn’t  have  been 
more  nearly  dead  than  we  were  when  we  arrived  there. 

He  was  a courtly  old  fellow,  I will  say  that  for  him, 
this  General  de  la  Place;  ” and  I was  so  far  mollified  by 
his  gentlemanly  manner  as  to  address  him  an  appeal  in 
French  that  he  would  facilitate  our  progress  as  quick  as 
possible,  as  we  had  not  partaken  of  food  for  twenty-four 
hours. 


396 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


Tov!  cC  suite monsieur^''  was  his  reply,  smilingly 
given.  After  a few  questions  and  some  notes  by  his 
secretary,  a spectacled  old  negro,  the  General  bowed  us 
out,  our  troubles  being  over,  as  we  thought,  until  we 
heard  this  old  hypocrite  say  to  the  guide,  Bureau  of 
Police. 

Utterly  overcome  at  this,  I supported  myself  against 
a wall,  and  glaring  upon  the  uniquely  costumed  guide,  I 
insisted  upon  knowing  exactly  how  far  we  had  to  go 
yet,  and  in  what  direction.  If  there  was  anymore  places 
besides  the  Bureau  of  Police  ” to  visit,  I declined  posi- 
tively to  go,  unless  they  took  me  as  a criminal  to  one  of 
their  prisons,  where,  in  any  event,  they  would  have  to 
‘‘feed^^  me;  but,  as  a free  and  mighty  American  citizen, 
travelling  in  a country  at  peace  with  my  own  nation,  I 
pro-test-ed. 

It  will  hardly  be  believed,  but  that  youth  grinned! 
Yes,  I repeat  it — actually  grinned  in  my  face,  and  muttered, 

Republique  (?)  d’Haiti,”  as  he  pointed  to  himself.  By 
Jove ! I wish  he  had  been,  for  I think  then  and  there  the 
glorious  Republic  of  Haiti  would  have  become  utterly 
extinct,  never  more  to  be  found  upon  the  school-maps  to 
puzzle  the  brain  of  our  young  (and  some  old)  scholars  as 
to  whether  it  was  a separate  island  or  not  from  St 
Domingo. 

The  “ Bureau  of  Police  ” looked  more  like  a horse-stable, 
with  its  dirty  guardroom  and  rusty  old  muskets,  and  dirty, 
ragged  negro  guard. 

The  chief”  and  his  aide,  coal-black  negroes  clad  in  blue 
denims  stiff  with  starch,  received  us,  asked  us  impertinent 
questions,  which  I cut  short  by  poking  my  passport  at 
him.  He  laid  it  on  the  table,  leaned  over  it,  examined 
it,  turned  it  over,  and  then  fell  to  studying  it  for  some 
minutes,  after  which  he  looked  at  me  and  said — 

Your  name?  ” 

You  have  it  there  before  you,”  I replied. 


HAYTIAN  PASSPORT. 


397 


What ’s  your  business  ? ” 

To  get  your  vise  on  that  passport,  and  something  to 
eat,  as  quick  as  the  Lord  will  let  us,”  I responded,  at  the 
same  time  informing  him  I was  an  American  citizen,  as 
that  paper  showed,  and  if  there  was  any  more  delay  I 
should  place  myself  under  the  protection  of  my  Consul,  and 
let  him  attend  to  my  business. 

The  chief  fell  to  studying  the  paper  again,  but  finally 
ejaculated,  Half-a-dollar,”  at  which  the  captain  of  the 
vessel  protested,  telling  me  it  had  never  been  exacted 
before,  but  I however  put  the  money  down,  on  which  the 
“ chief”  handed  me  my  document. 

This  was  a little  too  aggravating,  and  therefore  I re- 
marked, Eh  bien,  mon  ami,  you  have  read  my  paper,  for 
which  I make  no  charge  ; but  for  this  half-dollar,  you  must 
earn  it  by  giving  me  your  autograph,  or  a stamp,  or  a seal ; ” 
to  which  he  muttered,  Mais  oui,”  Mais  oui;  ” and  having 
examined  all  the  others,  he  scrawled  some  hieroglyphics 
over  them  and  declared  we  could  go. 

Anywhere  ? ” I ask,  no  more  officials  to  visit  ? ” 

Non,  non,  monsieur.” 

‘‘  Le  bon  Dieu  soit  benit ! ” we  utter  and  leave. 

To  the  hotel,”  we  savagely  say  to  the  youth  with  the 
‘‘  casquette  de-paille.” 

It  is  closed,  busted — there  is  none,”  is  the  reply ; at 
which  imagine  our  pheelings,”  0 sympathising  reader ! 

From  the  previous  day  up  to  noon  of  this  day,  not  a 
mouthful  of  food ; from  noon  up  to  evening  waiting  on 
these  officials,  and  yet  no  food — and  now  no  hotel ! 

Happy  thought ! To  the  Consul,  whom  luckily  we  find 
at  home.  He  immediately  sallies  out  with  us  to  hunt  up 
at  a billiard-bar-room  and  cafe  a place  where  we  could 
be  entertained  (?)  after  a fashion — where  they  owned  just 
one  bed,  and  this  I magnanimously  gave  up  to  my  com- 
panion, as  I still  had  my  trusty  hammock,  which  I was 
permitted  to’  hang  in  an  arch  of  the  courtyard,  where  the 


398 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


Consul  left  us  to  go  throug' 


Haytiau  Waiter. 


h ” that  landlord’s  bill  of  fare 
from  beginning  to  end. 

‘‘  AYhat  will  you  have  ? ” 
he  asks. 

“Everything,  anything, 
beer,  bread,  fruit,  clieese, 
bring  it  all  at  once  ; ” 
and  no  Haytian  before  or 
since  has  appeared  so  charm-  ^ 
ing  as  did  the  attendant  as 
he  promptly  complied  with 
our  command. 

Our  menu  for  dinner  was 
composed  more  leisurely 
^ and  in  a better  frame  of 
mind ; but  revenge  is  sweet, 
and  my  slumbers  were  sound 
that  night.  Why?  Because, 
just  as  I was  rolling  myself 
up  in  my  bag,  the  landlord 
asks,  “’Are  you  a Unitea 


States  Commissioner  ? ” 

“ Bother  I No;  good  nigbt.” 

“ Well,  the  authorities  think  you  are,  and  hare  doubled 
the  guards  to-night^ 

“ Ah!  mais  bon  soir.^  wisinr 

“ The  Paris  of  tbe  West  Indies.”  Well,  it  may  have 
been  in  times  gone  by,  but  to  day  it  can  hardly  be 
entitled  to  that  name,  unless  on  account  of  its  ruins. 
With  a class  of  people  like  the  old  polished  French 
planters  of  the  “ ancien  regime,”  this  town  may  have 
possibly  been  all  that  the  historians  say  it  was,  for  as 
far  as  nature  is  concerned  the  place  is  lovely  indeed. 
The  good  God  has  done  everything  for  it ; but  now,  with 
these  semi-barbarians,  it  has  been  for  years  retrograding 
in  civilisation  and  improvement. 


EXPENSIVE  DRINK. 


399 


As  a panacea  for  the  evils  of  my  first  day  in  Hayti,  I 
awoke  to  find  myself  suddenly  a millionaire.  Yes,  it  is  the 
truth ; for  in  one  day  I was  transformed  from  ‘^an  humble 
correspondent,”  with  a few  hundreds  in  good  solid  gold,  to 
be  a ‘‘  commissioner  ” with  §200,000  at  my  control.  But 
let  me  explain. 

My  first  act  on  rising  on  this  magnificent  morning  of 
my  second  day  in  Hayti  was  to  adapt  myself  to  the  custom 
of  the  country  and  ask  for  a ‘‘cocktail.”  I got  it;  I 
drank  it.  I had  no  fault  to  find  with  it,  for  it  certainly 
was  well  fabricated. 

“How  much  ? ” I asked. 

“ Thirty  dollars,  monsieur.” 

I start  back  horror-struck.  Thirty  dollars  for  a drink ! 
I see  it.  I am  a poor,  miserable  American,  disowned  by 
his  Grovernment,  in  a foreign  land,  and  these  barbarians 
know  it,  and  now  they  want  to  swindle  me.  But  the  old 
spirit  of  ’76  comes  strong  upon  me,  and  I get  reckless.  I 
vow  I will  not  pay  it;  and  drawing  from  my  pocket  a silver 
coin  of  the  realm  of  America,  value  ten  cents,  I declare  it 
is  all  the  monev  I have. 

To  my  amazement  the  mild  barkeeper  says,  “ I haven’t 
the  change,  sir.” 

Ah  ! I begin  to  see  it ; and  with  a princely  air  I say, 
“ Oh  ! keep  the  change,”  as  I walk  to  the  door  in  a digni- 
fied manner  ; but  once  out,  I walk,  yea,  I run.  Where  ? 
To  my  bankers,  upon  whom  I have  a letter  of  credit  for  a 
few  hundreds.  I present  the  letter. 

“ Do  you  want  it  all  now,  sir  ? ” 

“ Yes,”  I say,  in  a careless,  easy  manner,  “ if  con- 
venient.” (I  think  I see  now  the  cause  of  the  peculiar 
twinkle  in  that  clerk’s  eye.) 

“ It  will  take  us  some  time,  sir,  to  get  it  ready.  Please 
amuse  yourself  for  half-an-hour  or  so.” 

So  I kick  my  heels  ngainst  a large  box  of  American 
soap.  I whistle ; the  minutes  go  by ; I light  a cigar  and 


400 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


stroll  out  to  the  door ; it  looks  like  business,  for  many 
carts  are  gathering  around  the  square.  I stroll  on  the 
quay,  and  am  stopped  by  a dirty-looking  negro  with  a club, 
a shirt,  and  a portion  of  pantaloons,  who  says,  ‘‘  You  can’t 
go  there ! ” 

‘‘  Who  are  you  ? ” I ask. 

One  of  the  guard.” 

I am  scared;  I back  out,  and  attempt  to  slip  around 
the  corner,  where  I hear  shouted  at  me — 

Que  bagage  ta  ? ” 

I turn,  I tremble,  my  knees  bend,  for  there,  mounted 
before  me  (to  be  sure,  the  donkey  is  very  small,  even  if  it 
has  large  ears),  is  a mighty  warrior  in  cocked-hat,  with 
befrogged  and  gilded  swallow-tailed  coat,  cotton  pants 
(nigger  stripe),  and  though  he  has  no  shoes,  he  wears  a 
spur  : therefore  I know  he  must  be  a general,  for  his 
sword  is  large.  I salute  with  respect  (I  missed  being  a 
general  once  myself;,  when  I hear  a laugh  and  the  re- 
mark, Don’t  lose  time  on  that  fellow ; he’s  only  a guard.” 
Mortified,  I attempt  to  cross  the  street ; it  is  blocked  up  with 
mules  and  donkeys  heading  one  way.  I turn  down  another 
street ; it  is  the  same.  I think  this  a nice  active  place  for 
business,  and  turn  into  the  street  leading  to  my  bankers’ ; 
it  is  filled  with  donkey-carts,  drays,  mules,  and  horses 
with  panniers  and  carts  drawn  by  bullocks.  I think  this 
must  be  an  unusual  day  in  business,  perhaps  a market-day. 

What  does  all  this  mean  ? ” I ask  of  a sable  cart- 
man,  in  my  best  French. 

‘‘  Ca — 00 — dee,”  he  replies. 

I try  it  again. 

Que  bagage,”  is  the  response.  Now,  as  I haven’t  any 
baggage  with  me,  I am  at  a loss  to  know  what  it  means, 
when  happily  an  English-speaking  person  steps  up  and 
says,  I guess  you  don’t  understand  creole,  and  these 
fellows  don’t  speak  French.”  I ask  him  then  what  all 
this  means.  He  replies,  ‘‘  It  is  the  United  States  Com- 


HAYTIAN  PAPER  MONEY. 


401 


missioner  drawing  a draft  in  Haytian  money,  and  these 
carts  are  to  load  up  with  it.” 

Why,  that  is  funny,”  I replied ; I thought  I was 
the  only  strange  American  here,  and  the  Commissioners 
had  all  gone  home.” 

No  ; this  one  got  in  last  night  from  Monte  Cristo.” 
Oh,  dear ! ” I began  to  feel  so  queer  that  I just  had 
strength  enough  to  fall  in  at  the  door  of  a cafe,  and  say 

Beer  ! ” (You  know  everybody  drinks  ale  here,  or,  as  it 
is  called,  beer.”) 

Thus  strengthened  and  encouraged,  I sought  my. 
bankers,  and  asked,  as  well  as  the  crowd  will  permit,  Is 
that  ready  ? ” They  call  me  into  the  private  office,  and 
ask,  ‘‘  Now,  what  are  you  going  to  do  with  all  this  money  ? 
Where  are  you  going  to  put  it  ? Because  we  have  a large 
warehouse  here,  and  will  store  it  cheap  for  you.” 

Oh,  oh ! ” I begin  to  think  my  mind  is  going,  but 
yet  gasp  out,  Wffiat  does  all  this  mean?  ” 

Wffiy,  don’t  you  see?  You  present  your  draft,  and  say 
you  want  the  money.  Now,  the  only  money  they  have 
here  is  the  paper  money  of  the  country ; it  is  to-day  worth 
$400  in  paper  for  $1  in  gold,  and  if  you  draw  your 
$200,000,  it  will  take  all  these  carts  and  mules  to  carry  it ; 
and  if  you  will  be  advised  by  us,  you  will  leave  your  draft 
here,  and  draw  the  money  as  small  as  possible,  as  you  want 
it ; therefore  let  us  send  these  carts  away  while  you  take  ‘ a 
beer.’  ” 

I took  the  beer. 


/ 


CHAPTER  XXL 


‘ ‘ All  heroes  are  alike  : the  point ’s  agreed  ; 
From  IMacedonia’s  madman  to  the  Swede.” 


Cape  Haytian — The  Paris  of  the  West  Indies — Population^ 
Co7nmerce^  &>c. — Rums  of  French  Civilisation — Beautiful 
Views — Fear  of  Affierican  Encroachments — Duplicity  of  Offi- 
cials— Arbitrary  Government — Trip  to  Milot — Scenes  oti  the 
Road — Arrival  at  Sans  Souci — Strange  Treatfnent — Polite 
Officials — “ Takbig”  the  Citadel — Cristophe  the  Emperor — 
Horrible  Cruelties — Views  of  the  People — Retimn  to  the  Cape. 

^HE  town  of  Cape  Haytian  is  to-day,  though  one  of  the 
oldest  towns  on  the  island,  a city  of  ruins.  Settled 
originally  by  the  filibusters  ” from  the  Island  of  Tortuga, 
it  would  seem  as  though  fate  had  decreed  that  it  should  he 
the  objective  point  of  the  raids  not  only  of  foreign  fili- 
busters,” but  of  native  enemies  also. 

First  settled  in  1670  by  the  buccaneers,  its  history  shows 
a sad  record  of  mingled  progress  and  ruin,  of  great  riches 
and  extreme  poverty,  and  finally  of  devastation  by  God  and 
man. 

This  is  the  original  Guarico  ” of  the  Spaniards ; then 
Cape  Francis  of  the  French ; more  lately  Cape  Henry,  after 
Cristophe ; and  now  usually  Cape  Haytian,  though  known 
simply  as  The  Cape.” 

Lying  at  the  very  foot  of  some  noble  mountains  that 
stretch  boldly  out  into  the  sea,  and  form  a prominent 
landmark  to  the  mariner,  it  is  to-day,  approaching  it  from 


TOWN  AND  DAY  OF  THE  CAPE. 


' » VC  ^ ‘ / 

- '-f'-t-  ji-# 


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V *r  , 


h\Ui 


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.ii.^i  ,^.V;  . ..  "’•  . 

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f. ' 

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.*  , J -V 

.*••-.  ‘ ^-t 


THE  FARIS  OF  ST  DOMINGO, 


403 


the  sea,  a lovely  spot,  as  first  seen  from  the  deck  of  a 
vessel. 

A deep  curve  in  the  coast  line  forms  a fine  hay,  upon 
which  rests  the  gaily-coloured  walls  and  roofs  of  the  town 
in  a long,  narrow  plain,  running  from  the  coast  back  to 
the  verdure-clad  hills,  which  form  such  a superb  back- 
ground to  the  picture. 

Across  the  bay,  and  opposite  the  town,  stretches  away 
a vast  plain,  that  ends  only  at  the  base  of  a range  of 
mountains  that  nearly  mark  the  boundary  line  between 
Dominica  and  Hayti,  and  the  view  in  every  direction  is 
charming  in  the  extreme.  The  town  has  been  at  one  time 
an  extremely  well-built  city,  with  houses  entirely  of  stone, 
well-paved  streets,  large  public  square,  and  fountains  and 
churches,  grand  and  innumerable,  and  of  the  highest  char- 
acter of  architecture,  bearing  even  to-day  traces  of  having 
been  the  handsome  place  that  St  Mery  describes  so  minutely 
as  existing  before  1789. 

Before  the  revolution  that  separated  the  island  from 
France,  this  town  had  become  the  centre  of  commerce,  and 
such  was  the  degree  of  luxury  and  refinement  to  which  its 
inhabitants  had  reached,  it  was  everywhere  spoken  of  as 
the  Paris  of  St  Domingo. 

Its  misfortunes  began  in  1793,  when  it  was  burned  in 
the  troubles  among  the  revolutionary  chiefs ; again  by  the 
French  fleet;  and  that  old  Turk,  Cristophe,  also  laid  it  in 
ashes.  For  many  years  it  struggled  along  in  improvements, 
and  many  handsome  houses  and  buildings  were  rebuilt, 
until  in  1842  the  terrible  earthquake  that  visited  the  island 
laid  almost  the  entire  city  in  ruins,  burying  under  its  walls 
thousands  of  persons,  while  whole  families  were  swallowed 
up,  and  became  extinct  in  the  catastrophe.  The  country 
people  came  in  crowds  into  the  town  and  gave  themselves 
up  to  pillage,  plundering  the  houses  and  the  inhabitants 
without  hesitation  ; and  when  remonstrated  with,  they  with 
imprecations  remarked,  “It  is  our  time  now,”  and  their 


404 


SANTO  DOAIINGO. 


numbers  were  so  great,  that  no  general  resistance  could  be 
made  to  their  maraudings. 

To-day  the  street  parallel  with  the  sea  is  tolerably  well 
built,  mostly  with  large  and  substantial  storehouse  dwell- 
ings of  the  foreign  merchants,  and  throughout  the  town  sub- 
stantial stone  dwellings  and  wooden  buildings  are  mingled 
promiscuously  with  the  ancient  ruins. 

A more  romantic  place  for  the  artist’s  study  it  would  be 


“Bord  de  Mer.” 


hard  to  find ; and  one  can  traverse  square  after  square  of 
crumbling  ruins  of  stone,  can  walk  through  narrow  paths 
that  once  have  been  stately  streets,  and  see  on  every  side 
arches,  pillars,  balconies,  groined  walls,  and  niches  o\er 
which  is  growing  and  running  the  luxuriant  vegetation  of 
the  tropics,  while  in  the  interior  of  courtyards,  and  what 
have  once  been  halls  and  saloons,  many  finished  in  maible 
or  solid  stone,  are  growing  the  full-aged  cocoa,  banana, 
palm,  and  other  trees,  and  in  and  about  some  of  the 


FOREIGX  FOFULATIOX. 


405 


public  squares  are  ruins  of  noble  churches  and  convents, 
even  yet  beautiful  and  majestic  in  their  decay. 

Of  the  inhabitants,  the  larger  portion  are  black — jet 
black;  and  then  come  the  mulattoes  of  various  degrees  of 
colour,  a few  native  whites,  and  then  the  foreign  popula- 
tion, by  which  latter  class  is  mostly  transacted  the  com- 
merce of  the  place,  which  consists  in  exporting  coffee  and 
logwood,  and  the  importing  of  provisions,  dry  goods, 
hardware,  soaps,  &c.,  a large  portion  of  which  come  from 


A Mercantile  House. 


the  United  States,  particularly  the  common  dry  goods — 
the  whole  of  the  country  people  being,  in  fact,  clad  in  the 
blue  denim  of  the  Amoskeag  Company  of  Xew  England. 

Many  of  these  foreign  merchants  live  in  a very  great 
deal  of  style  and  luxury,  occupying  generally  the  rooms 
over  their  warehouses,  many  of  which,  those  especially  in 
the  upper  part  of  the  town,  are  very  handsome,  solidly- 
built  establishments,  showing  at  once  what  the  cities  of 


406 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


this  island  would  become  if  there  were  peace  and  a safe 
government. 

What  the  great  hulk  of  the  black  population  does  for  a 
livelihood  I was  unable  to  find  out,  for  they  were  principally 
occupied  in  loafing  ” while  I was  there,  though  a great 
many  of  the  women  keep  small  stores  for  the  sale  of  fruits, 
notions,  &c. 

The  only  active  workers  that  I saw  were  those  along  the 
shore  engaged  in  loading  and  unloading  vessels,  and  these 
seemed  to  be  as  quick  and  steady  in  their  labours  as  any 
one  could  desire ; and  as  they  are  paid  promptly  by  the 
foreign  merchants  who  employ  them,  I am  led  to  believe 
that  a good  deal  of  the  inertness  of  the  people  of  this 
island  is  simply  owing  to  the  uncertainty  of  being  paid. 

This  seems  always  to  be  present  to  the  mind  of  the 
Haytian  of  the  lower  class.  I have  had  a fellow  carrying 
my  trunk  on  his  head  stop  short,  and  turning  to  me,  say. 

You  pay  me  ? You  sure  you  pay  me  ? ” 

Again  I have  seen  them,  when  I asked  a service  of  them, 
shake  their  heads  dubiously. 

Why,  I will  pay  you  for  it,”  I would  say. 

Will  you,  then?  Well,  pay  me  now.^  and  I T1  do  it.” 
And  doing  this,  I had  no  reason  to  complain. 

But,  from  tradition  and  experience,  these  poor  ignorant 
people  seem  to  have  a had  opinion  of  the  white  man,  to 
whom  they  still  apply  in  a general  sense  the  term  mediant 
(wicked). 

As  a type  of  the  way  in  which  they  work  at  their  ease,  I 
was  struck  with  the  process  of  building  a house  two  stories 
in  height.  Part  of  the  second  story  being  already  built,  one 
of  the  workmen  seated  himself  in  the  scaffold  of  the  upper 
window,  and  received  the  bricks  thrown  to  him  one  by  one  by 
the  man  below,  still  another  oue  being  ready  to  take  them 
from  the  hands  of  the  first  and  lay  them  down  for  him.  It 
would  be  a nice  calculation  to  know  how  long  it  would  take, 
at  this  rate,  to  build  a three-story  brick-house. 


OLD  FRENCH  PLAGE. 


407 


The  town  is  an  extremely  interesting  one  to  the  casual 
traveller  fond  of  historical  researches,  and  the  natural 
beauties  of  the  surrounding  country  are  so  great,  that  many, 
beautiful  rides  can  be  taken  on  horseback  in  the  vicinity. 

One  of  these,  to  a place  called  March egal,  is  particularly 
interesting,  affording  an  opportunity  of  seeing  a large  por- 
tion of  the  town  itself;  and  then,  mounting  up  by  a lovely 
road  on  the  mountain  in  rear  of  the  town,  affording  a superb 
view  of  the  plain,  and  the  town  with  its  bay,  the  plain 


old  French  Place. 


beyond,  and  the  mountain  range  still  further  off,  upon  one 
of  the  peaks  of  which  can  be  distinctly  seen  the  celebrated 
Citadel  of  Cristophe. 

From  this  old  place  of  Marchegal  can  be  obtained  some 
idea  of  what  this  country  w\as  in  its  civilised  days;  for  here 
may  yet  be  seen  stone  terraces,  stone  walls  of  solid  archi- 
tecture, drains  of  mason-work,  stone  baths,  and  remains  of 
beautiful  gardens  and  improved  agriculture;  all,  alas!  now 
sunk  in  ruins. 

■ A few  days’  sojourn  will  exhaust  the  attractions  of  the 
31 


408 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


city ; but  half  a day’s  journey  from  the  Cape,  towards  the 
Dominican  frontier,  lies,  in  a charming  valley,  the  little 
village  of  historic  fame  known  as  Milot,  celebrated  as  the 
residence  of  King  Cristophe. 

If  the  reader  has  ever  heard  anything  at  all  of  Hayti 
or  its  historv,  he  will  have  heard  of  this  celebrated  nef^ro, 
and  the  wondrous  palace  of  Sans  Souci  ” he  built  for  his 
royal  dwelling,  while  on  the  mountain  is  the  equally  famed 

Citadel.” 

Before  visiting  the  island  I had  read  of  these  wondrous 
places  ; and  in  my  various  travels  in  St  Domingo,  whenever 

The  Cape  ” and  Hayti  were  mentioned,  these  places  were 
spoken  of  as  something  fabulous,  that  were  well  worthy  of 
a visit. 

As  no  travelling  is  allowed  in  the  island  without  passes, 

I called  our  Consul  to  my  assistance,  and  determined  to 
visit  these  places ; and  he  was  kind  enough  to  make  applica- 
tion to  his  friend,  the  General  of  the  province,  Alexis  Kord, 
for  a permit  for  me  to  visit  the  Citadel  and  Sans  Souci  at 
Milot,  which  was  apparently  granted.  Here  it  is,  translated 
from  the  original,  forcibly  illustratingyr^^  Hayti,  a regular 
written  document  on  a printed  form  : — 

TAberty*  Equality.  Fraternity.  1 

No. ■ PtEPUBLic  OF  Hayti,  ; 

Cape  Haytian,  31st  March,  1871, 

68th  year  of  Independence. 

Nord  Alexis,  General  of  Division,  Aide-de-camp  of  his  Excellency  the  Presi- 
dent of  Hayti,  and  Commandant  of  the  Department  of  the  North.  j 

Permit  to  Mr  Hazard,  American  subject,  to  go  to  Milot,  accompanied  by  | 

a guide,  to  attend  to  his  business.  Be  is  recommended  to  the  kindness  of  the  J 

authorities.  Nobd  Alexis.  4 

Meanwhile  some  friends,  hearing  of  my  intention,  decided  I 
to  make  up  a party  to  accompany  me,  and  invitations  were  | 
given  by  them  and  accepted,  without  it  being. stated  parti-  I 
cularly  that  I was  to  be  of  the  party,  which  was  composed  f 
principally  of  foreigners.  Ji 

The  italics  are  the  author’s.  ^ 

J, 

> 


NATIVE  GUIDE. 


409 


It  will  hardly  be  believed,  but  when  it  was  known  that  I 
was  to  be  of  the  party,  they  all  backed  out,  because  I was 
an  American  and  reputed  Commissioner,  and  my  company 
was  not  deemed  safe.  For  such  is  the  state  of  fear  in  which 
the  country  is  kept,  and  so  arbitrary  are  the  acts  of  the 
Government,  that  foreign  merchants  even  do  not  feel  safe, 
and,  therefore,  are  careful  not  to  compromise  themselves  in 
any  way. 

Pleasant  company  is  always  agreeable ; but  still  I was 
determined  not  to  lose  my  trip,  notwithstanding  the  lugu- 
brious accounts  given  me  of  the  danger  I ran;  so,  casting 
about,  I began  negotiating  for  a guide  and  a horse. 

The  first  appeared  in  the  person  of  ^TOliam,”  a graceful 
native,  accomplished  in 
the  languages  of  Eng- 
lish, creole,  and  broken 
French.  Hardly  yet 
accustomed  to  the  cur- 
rency of  the  island,  I 
was  somewhat  taken 
aback  at  the  sum  he 
required  for  his  services, 

$2000  (£400);  but  with 
the  aid  of  pencil  and 
paper  and  a close  cal- 
culation, I made  out 
the  net  amount  would 
just  be  five  dollars  of 
real  money ; so  he  was 
at  once  engaged. 

All  efforts  proved 
fruitless  to  hire  a horse 
for  myself,  though  the 
guide  was  more  fortu- 
nate ; and  I was  compelled  eventually  to  accept  the  offer  of 
one  from  a friend.  Then  William  failed  me : first  it  had 


William. 


410 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


been  the  horse  ; then  he  wished  to  indulge  himself  in  a 
spree ; then  he  appeared  before  me  in  a costume  that  fore- 
boded rain;  until,  tired  of  delay,  I named  the  hour  at  which 
I should  start  with  or  without  him ; but  I finally  succeeded 
in  getting  otf,  quite  late  one  afternoon,  with  my  guide,  both 
mounted,  and  he  carrying  my  hammock  and  some  few 
stores. 

,Out  through  the  north-eastern  gate  we  rode  past  the 
sentry — who,  on  my  asking  him  a question,  politely  replied. 

Give  me  a dollar!” — to  a broad,  hard  road,  bounded  on 
one  side  by  the  savanna,  while  back  from  the  other  rolled 
beautiful  ascending  land  to  the  very  mountain,  while 
all  along  were  the  usual  one-storied  wooden-houses — the 
land,  although  in  such  close  proximity  to  the  city,  being 
generally  uncultivated. 

Just  outside  the  city  gates,  beside  the  public  road,  where 
thousands  and  thousands  of  people  are  continually  passing, 
is  a large  potter’s  field,  where  diseased  cattle  are  taken  and 
left  to  die  and  rot,  while  in  the  same  place  is  put  the  house- 
hold furniture  of  those  who  die  of  yellow  fever. 

Passing  by  this  lot,  you  see  the  whitening  bones  and 
skeletons  of  defunct  animals,  and  tables  and  chairs,  and 
even  mattresses,  left  there  intact  to  impregnate  the  air  with 
the  seeds  of  contagious  disease,  when  a simple  bonfire  of  the 
articles  so  infected  would  remove  the  revolting  sight  and 
prevent  all  danger.  But  such  is  sanitary  law  in  this  en- 
lightened (?)  Republique  d’Haiti. 

William,”  I discovered,  had  some  difiSculty  in  keeping 
up  with  me,  so  I awaited  his  arrival,  and  then  discovered 
he  was  very  drunk,  being  constantly  tumbling  from  his 
horse. 

In  explanation  he  endeavoured  to  convince  me  that  it 
was  the  fool  of  a horse,”  that  would  not  keep  in  the 
road ; but  ordering  him  to  go  ahead  of  me  and  lead  the 
animal,  it  was  very  quickly  seen  which  would  not  keep 
straisrht. 

O 


SCENES  ON  THE  ROAD. 


411 


However,  we  made  progress,  though  a slow  one,  and  for 
the  first  few  miles  I was  struck  with  the  great  difference 
in  population  between  Hayti  and  Dominica ; for  while  in 
the  latter  part  you  rarely  meet  any  one  in  the  road,  here 
were  crowds  of  negroes,  men  and  women,  on  foot  and  on 
horseback,  all  going  to  or  from  the  city  with  produce  or 
supplies. 

The  road,  too,  was  a hard  gravel-and-sand  road,  per- 
fectly practicable  for  carts  and  vehicles  ; and  three  miles 
out  we  came  to  a solid  stone  bridge  over  a small  stream. 


Squatters  in  Ruined  Places. 


the  parapets  of  which  wxre  in  ruins,  though  the  causeway 
was  good.  I ask,  Who  built  it?  ” The  French,”  is  the 
reply.  They  don’t  built  bridges  now-a-days. 

For  some  distance  our  road  ran  through  rather  a barren 
tract,  and  then  turning  off,  we  struck  most  beautiful  prairie 
land,  only  cultivated  here  and  there  with  the  plantain 
patch,  while  on  the  sides  of  the  road  grew  thick  the 
logwood  originally  planted  by  the  French  for  hedges. 


412 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


Or,  again,  we  passed  fields  of  what  looked  like  bushes  or 
scrub  timber,  so  thick  was  it,  and  which  I found  was  the 
coffee,  left  to  grow  wild  and  be  choked  up  with  rank  vege- 
tation. A sad,  sad  sight,  too,  were  the  ruins  of  gateways 
and  houses  with  which  we  met  at  almost  every  step.  All 
of  them  were  of  the  most  solid  kind  of  masonry,  the  gate- 
posts in  many  instances  being  of  solid  stone  and  of  carved 
work,  while  the  houses  gave  signs  of  having  been  large  and 
stately  mansions ; but  all,  all  were  crumbling  to  decay. 

It  required  no  great  stretch  of  imagination  to  picture 
this  section  of  country  before  the  Revolution,  when  this 
whole  plain,  with  its  handsome  houses,  superb  plantations, 
and  well-kept  hedges,  presented  the  appearance  of  a vast 
and  beautiful  fiower-garden. 

I found  the  country  well  cut  up  by  good  roads,  that 
originally  appeared  to  have  been  solidly  constructed  with 
stone,  and  ditches  were  in  many  places  dug  on  each  side, 
while  stone  culverts  and  drains  gave  evidence  that  at  one 
time  civilisation  had  had  some  shaVe  in  the  improvement 
of  the  country. 

I was  particularly  interested  in  seeing  this ; for  often  I 
had  thought  it  would  be  impossible  to  make  roads  or  keep 
them  in  order  in  such  a country  as  Dominica,  and  here  I 
had  new  evidence  that  it  was  not  only  possible,  but  easy  to 
make  and  drain  good  roads. 

Constantly  before  us  in  the  turns  of  the  road  we  saw  the 
blue  hills  of  our  destination,  seeming  almost  to  recede  as 
we  advanced,  conspicuous,  however,  on  one  of  which  were 
the  sheer  walls  of  the  Citadel. 

Night  was  closing  in  on  us  as  we  struck  a more  fertile 
country,  where  the  cane  was  cultivated  in  large  fields,  and 
where  occasional  groves  of  coffee  were  met  with  in  uncared- 
for  luxuriance.  More  than  this,  too,  we  passed  for  miles 
through  groves  of  the  guava,  whose  yellow  fftiit,  just  ripen- 
ing, filled  the  evening  air  with  the  most  fragrant,  delicious, 
almost  suffocating  perfume. 


VILLAGE  OF  MI  LOT. 


413 


Now,  in  almost  every  direction,  we  saw  the  glow  of  fires 
in  the  different  fields ; and  it  needed  not  to  ask  the  cause  of 
this,  for  the  night  air  was  heavy  with  the  odorous  fumes  of 
the  cane-juice,  which  they  were  boiling  in  their  rude  way 
to  make  sugar  and  rum. 

Then  a tough  bit  of  road,  and  we  began  our  ascent  by  a 
rocky  road  on  the  mountain  or  hill  that  intervenes  before 
reaching  Milot;  but  directly  we  descended  again,  and  there, 
calmly  lying  in  the  moonlight,  was  the  village  of  Milot  in 
its  beautiful  plain,  while  beyond  it  were  the  gloomy  hills  of 
the  Sierra,  as  a background  to  the  immense  walls  of  the 
far-famed  palace  of  Sans  Souci,  that  even  in  the  night  were 
remarkable  in  the  grandeur  of  moonlight  and  deep  shadow. 

We  asked  at  several  houses  for  shelter,  but  there  seemed 
something  wrong,  as  no  one  was  inclined  to  grant  it,  a pro- 
ceeding very  unusual  in  these  regions. 

Finally  I ask  for  the  Commandant,  and  am  directed  to 
the  quarters  on  the  hill.  I ask  for  the  General ; he  is 
away,  but  his  subordinate  comes  forward  and  asks  what  I 
want,  though  he  seems  to  know  already  that  I am  an 
American.  He  says  he  has  no  quarters.  I tell  him  he 
must  find  them.  • He  says,  My  orders  don’t  call  for  that” 
(he  hasn’t  looked  at  them).  I tell  him  he  had  better  read 
them.  Says  he  can’t,  but  will  see  the  General’s  secretary ; 
and  we  start  out  to  hunt  him  up,  until  I tell  him,  “ Never 
mind  ; get  us  into  any  house.” 

He  insolently  says  he  can  if  I will  pay,  which  of  course 
I tell  him  I expect  to  do.  Meanwhile  one  woman,  more 
hospitable  than  the  rest,  says  I may  swing  my  hammock 
in  her  house  if  I like,  as  ‘‘  she  loves  the  Americans ; they 
saved  her  life.”  Considerably  puzzled,  I dismount,  and  when 
our  arrangements  are  all  made,  I get  from  her  that  a 
messenger  came  up  before  me  to  say  that  an  American  was 
coming  up  to  take”  the  Citadel.  I laughed  heartily,  until 
it  was  explained  that  they  were  afraid  that  I came  to  make 
plans  of  the  fort  so  that  we  could  come  and  take  it. 


414 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


I went  to  my  bag  for  the  night,  laughing  at  the  idea 
these  people  had  of  the  Yankee  nation,  and  was  roused  up 
at  an  early  hour  in  the  morning  by  my  guide,  who  said  the 
subaltern  had  sent  word  that  I must  get  up  at  once,  see 
the  town  and  the  palace,  and  go  about  my  business,  as  my 
order  permitted  nothing  else. 

Pretty  mad,  I sent  him  my  compliments,  requesting  him 
to  visit  a place  not  in  the  Arctic  regions,  and,  turning  over, 
went  to  doze  again. 

When  I awoke,  I found  the  General  had  returned,  and 
sent  me  a courteous  message  that  he  was  sorry  he  had  not 
been  there  the  previous  night,  as  he  would  have  furnished 
me  comfortable  quarters,  and  requesting  me  to  call  on  him 
as  soon  as  convenient. 

Breakfast  over,  I went  up  to  his  quarters,  and  found  him 
to  be  a perfectly  black,  ordinary  negro,  but  speaking  pure 
French  well.  I showed  him  my  order,  and  told  him  I 
wished  to  visit  the  historic  Citadel. 

This  he  said  I could  not  do.  I quoted  my  order  to  him, 
and  we  had  some  angry  words  together,  ending  in  my  tell- 
ing him  I should  hold  him  responsible  to  his  superior  for 
not  complying  with  instructions. 

Then  at  last  it  all  came  out — the  vile  duplicity  of  these 
people  and  their  rulers  ; for  this  very  Alexis  Nord,  after 
apparently  complying  with  the  request  of  the  Consul,  had 
sent  a messenger  on  ahead  of  me  to  give  other  instructions. 

Naturally,  I was  pretty  mad,  finding,  after  my  trouble 
and  expense,  the  objects  of  my  journey  were  only  to  be 
partially  accomplished,  and  I took  the  liberty  of  telling 
the  General  ” some  views  I had  about  savages.  I had,  of 
course,  no  right  to  find  fault  with  being  kept  out  of  any 
place,  particularly  a fortress,  for  every  Government  has  a 
perfect  right  to  exercise  its  own  judgment  in  admitting 
strangers  to  such  places  ; and  had  I been  the  only  foreigner 
to  whom  was  refused  this  permission,  it  would  still  have 
been  far  from  me  to  find  fault. 


PALACE  OF  SANS  SOUCl  (mILLOT). 


PALACE  OF  SANS  SOU  Cl. 


415 


But  this  was  not  the  case,  as  I understood  the  Citadel 
had  been  quite  frequently  open  to  the  inspection  of  foreign 
visitors  ; but  of  the  deception  practised,  and  the  discourtesy 
shown  to  the  Government  of  which  I was  a citizen,  I think 
I had  just  right  of  complaint,  though  I have  since  learned 
that  no  nationality  is  exempt  from  these  petty  displays 
on  the  part  of  Hayti.  However,  I made  the  best  of  a bad 
bargain,  and  started  with  a guard  to  view  the  principal 
object  of  interest,  the  “ Palace  Sans  Souci,”  and  a superb 
palace  it  must  have  been  in  its  time.  Imaofine  a lono- 

*■  ^ O O J 

narrow,  lovely  valley  clothed  in  verdure,  shut  in  by  high 
hills,  and  ending  at  one  end  in  a gently-rising  knoll  that 
blocks  up  the  narrow  ravine  between  two  grand  high 
mountains,  the  precipitous  faces  of  which  seem  the  walls 
of  a natural  fortress,  and  you  have  an  idea  of  the  natural 
location  of  the  palace. 

The  palace  of  Sans  Souci  was  constructed  by  Henrv 
Cristophe,  the  King  of  the  Korth,  upon  the  brow  of  the 
hill  of  the  village  of  Milot,  then  an  old  sugar  estate.  The 
site  was  well  chosen,  because  there  was  a superb  view 
of  the  valley  below  and  the  hills  around,  while  it  (the 
palace)  was  imposing  and  grand.  Its  original  plan  was 
primitive,  but  was  successively  increased,  and  thus  its 
architecture  is  irregular.  There  was  a rez-de-chaussee  or 
basement,  then  a second  story  and  a belvidere,  or  look-out, 
from  which  superb  views  were  obtained.  Upon  the  right 
was  the  throne-room,  and  below  was  a circular  church  used 
by  Cristophe  and  his  family ; upon  the  left  was  the 
terrace  of  Caimito,  so  named  from  a large  tree  of  that 
species  that  overshadowed  it.  Then  some  large  dwellings 
for  the  officers  and  secretaries,  while  adjoining  these  were 
solid  buildings  for  sheltering  the  many  carriages  and 
equipages  of  the  King.  Behind  the  palace  were  large 
gardens  filled  with  fiowers,  fruits,  and  vegetables,  while 
water  ran  down  in  cascades  from  the  neighbouring  moun- 
tains. Ranged  above  the  main  palace  were  buildings  used 


416 


SANTO  D02IING0, 


as  storehouses,  arsenals,  barracks,  &c.,  for  the  military, 
while  printing-offices,  the  mint,  and  offices  added  to  their 
extent  and  number. 

Most  of  these  buildings  are  still  standing,  as  "well  as  the 
solid  stone  steps,  the  esplanade,  the  courtyard  wall,  with 
its  ponderous  gate-posts.  Although  the  earthquake  of  1842 
ruined  them  to  such  an  extent,  they  have  never  since  been 
occupied ; yet,  seen  as  they  are  to-day,  with  their  historic 
associations,  their  magnificent  natural  site,  the  extent  and 
majesty  of  their  architecture,  the  traveller  is  well  repaid  in 
making  a special  visit  to  them. 

Besides  this  palace  of  Sans  Souci,  Cristophe  had  other 
magnificent  places  throughout  his  dominions,  hearing 
the  various  names  of  the  Queen’s  Delight,”  The 
King’s  Beautiful  View,”  “ The  Conquest,”  ‘‘  The  Victory,” 

The  Glory,”  &c.  Most  of  these  were  sugar  estates, 
others  were  cotton  plantations,  but  all  lying  in  this 
most  fertile  and  beautiful  plain  of  St  Domingo  and  Hayti, 
known  as  the  Artibonite.”  But  here  at  Sans  Souci  was 
the  favourite  place  and  residence  of  the  tyrant  King 
Cristophe  ; and  as  long  as  a stone  of  these  walls  shall  stand, 
so  long  will  there  he  a monument  to  one  of  the  greatest 
savages  and  murderers  that  has  ever  disgraced  God’s 
earth. 

The  history  of  this  man  and  his  rule  in  Hayti  seems 
like  fabled  romance,  and  is  too  long  for  me  to  give  here, 
but  a few  facts  may  not  be  uninteresting. 

For  fourteen  years  Cristophe,  originally  an  African  slave, 
ruled  here  at  Sans  Souci,  where,  seated  on  a throne  placed 
under  the  before-mentioned  caimito-tree  that  shaded  the 
terrace,  he  held  court.  His  officers  and  people  dared  not  look 
upon  his  face,  but  knelt  before  him  as  slaves,  and  with  a 
wave  of  his  hand  he  consigned  immediately  to  the  dungeon 
or  death  any  of  his  subjects  who  displeased  him. 

Did  he  want  a carriage  built  or  an  article  made,  he  would 
have  brought  before  him  the  artificer. 


SUICIDE  OF  CRISTOPHE. 


417 


How  long  will  it  take  you  to  make  one  like  this  ? ” he 
would  ask  of  the  now  trembling  mechanic. 

“ Three  months,”  perhaps  would  be  the  reply. 

If  in  two  weeks  it  is  not  here  before  me,  finished,  you 
will  be  thrown  from  the  precipice,”  was  all  that  Cristophe 
said,  and  the  man  was  taken  away.  It  was  at  this  palace 
that  Cristophe  died  by  his  own  hand. 

To  show  the  character  of  the  man,  a short  time  before  the 
revolution  broke  out  against  him,  he  had  had  an  attack  of 
paralysis,  from  which  recovering  somewhat,  he  had  him- 
self put  in  a rum-and-pepper  hath  and  rubbed  by  his 
attendants.  This  made  him  feel  so  much  better  that  he 
ordered  his  people  to  he  assembled,  and  then  appearing 
before  them  on  the  terrace,  he  was  so  stupefied  that  he  fell 
upon  his  knees  in  the  attitude  of  supplication,  and  had  to 
be  carried  in. 

Then  came  the  news  of  the  revolution  against  him  at 
the  Cape.  He  saw  his  fields  of  cane  burned  before  him 
under  his  very  eye.  Then  came  the  revolt  of  his  favourite 
troops  ; and  seating  himself  in  the  gallery  of  his  palace  in  a 
dressing-gown  and  curious  hat  he  wore,  he  made  pass 
before  him  all  the  troops  of  his  guard  : to  each  one  of  them 
he  gave  a dollar  to  go  and  fight  the  rebels. 

Meanwhile  he  was  seated  on  the  esplanade  with  his  two 
daughters  near  him,  when  word  was  brought  him  that  his 
guard  too  had  deserted  him.  Rising  up,  he  bade  good-bye  to 
his  wife  and  family,  and  withdrawing  to  his  chamber,  blew 
his  brains  out  with  a pistol. 

The  officers  and  people  of  the  palace  immediately  sacked 
it  of  all  its  precious  valuables,  while  his  wife  and  daughters, 
enveloping  the  body  of  their  father  in  a hammock,  fled 
to  the  Citadel’’  above. 

This  ‘^Citadel,”  it  is  probable,  has  had  more  to  do  with 
making  Cristophe  infamous  (as  well  as  famous)  than  any- 
thing else.  It  was  constructed  originally  by  the  French 
upon  the  chain  of  the  mountain  Bishop’s  Hat,”  a height 


418 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


of  several  hundred  yards  above  the  level  of  the  sea.  Begun 
in  1804,  it  was  not  finished  until  1820,  for  there  was 
always  being  executed  upon  it  new  labour.  Such  was  its 
height  that,  standing  upon  its  walls,  one  gets  dizzy ; and 
from  thence  were  thrown  into  the  valley  beneath  thousands 
who  had  incurred  the  enmity  of  the  King ; so  that  it 
came  properly  by  its  name  Grand  Boucan.  Such  was  the 
cruel  treatment  of  the  labourers  employed  upon  it,  who 
worked  without  pay  and  very  little  food,  that  30,000 
persons  are  said  to  have  perished  in  its  construction. 

The  walls  of  the  fort  are  built  upon  the  solid  rock  itself, 
and  are  from  fifteen  to  twenty  feet  thick,  and  of  great 
height,  being  built  of  masonry  or  solid  stone.  There  were 
several  batteries  of  the  largest  kind  of  ordnance  placed  one 
above  the  other.  Here  in  this  citadel  were  the  arsenals 
and  storehouses  of  the  King ; and  the  accounts  given  of 
the  quantities  of  provisions,  of  gold  and  silver,  and 
precious  things  stored  there,  seem  fabulous,  were  there 
not  on  record  the  names  of  those  who  became  rich  at  its 
sacking.  The  commotions  of  nature  have  utterly  ruined 
this  once  formidable  place,  and  naught  remains  now  but 
the  ruins  to  show  the  immensity  of  the  place  and  its  con- 
ception, and  even  these  are  guarded  with  jealous  care  by 
the  authorities  from  the  eye  of  the  stranger. 

Prince  Saunders,  the  agent  of  Cristophe  in  England, 
gives  the  following  information  of  these  places  in  the  time 
of  his  master  : — ‘‘  The  Citadel  Henry,  that  palladium  of 
liberty,  that  majestic  bulwark  of  independence,  that 
monument  of  the  greatness  and  of  the  vast  combinations 
of  a Henry,  is  built  on  the  lofty  summit  of  one  of  the 
highest  mountains  in  the  island,  whence  you  may  discover 
to  the  left  the  island  of  Tortuga  and  the  reflection  of  its 
beautiful  canal ; in  front,  the  gentle  risings,  with  the  city 
of  Cape  Henry,  its  roadstead,  and  the  vast  expanse  of 
ocean ; on  the  right.  La  Grange,  Monte  Cristo,  the  city  of 
Fort  Royal,  Manzanillo  Bay,  and  the  surrounding  hills. 


SANS  SOU  Cl. 


419 


The  eye  is  gratified  with  the  prospect  of  the  beautiful  plain, 
and  the  magnificent  carpet  of  verdure  spread  before  it. 

“ The  position,  fortified  by  nature,  and  to  which  art  has 
added  all  its  science,  with  casemates  and  bomb-proofs,  has 
secured  it  from  being  successfully  besieged,  while  the 
mouths  of  the  cannon  overtop  the  elevation  of  the  high 
ground,  and  command  the  adjacent  territory,  affording  pro- 
tection to  the  whole  north.” 

He  describes  Sans  Souci  as  a town  likely  to  become  the 
capital  of  Hayti.”  Ravines  have  been  filled  up,  moun- 
tains levelled,  and  public  roads  laid  out.  This  superb  royal 
palace,  its  sumptuous  apartments,  all  with  inlaid  work, 
and  lined  with  the  most  beautiful  and  rarest  tapestry, 
. . . all  these  combine  to  embellish  the  retreat  of  a hero. 
. . . I know  it  to  be  the  intention  of  our  King  to  have 
the  rotunda  of  his  palace  in  the  Citadel  paved  and  lined 
with  quadruples  ; such  a novel  species  of  apartment  will 
refiect  a precious  drapery,  and  be  without  a parallel  in  the 
world.” 

My  visit  to  this  wonderful  place  I shall  never  forget, 
and  returning  to  the  village,  I gave  orders  for  our  start. 
Availing  myself  of  the  time,  I rambled  through  the  village, 
entering  into  conversation  with  the  people,  and  to  my 
inquiry,  Why  do  you  dislike  the  Americans  so  much?  ” 
I was  invariably  told  that  the  Grovernment  had  informed 
them  the  Americans  wanted  to  come  and  take  their  lands 
and  make  them  slaves  and  work.  I am  very  certain  that 
many  of  these  people  were  much  enlightened  before  I left 
them,  but  they  were  hardly  able  to  realise  my  last  words, 
that  we  had  freed  our  slaves,  and  were  now  educating 
them. 

Having  no  idea  of  being  detained  on  the  road  by  the 
slow  movements  of  William,  I determined  to  start  back 
alone,  as  I was  now  familiar  with  the  road,  and  notwith- 
standing his  warnings  that  a present  shower  would  end  in 
a violent  storm,  I left  him  to  convey  to  several  of  the 


420 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


natives  some  of  the  home  truths  about  their  condition,  and 
putting  spurs  to  my  horse,  I reached  the  Cape  safely,  after 

an  extremely  hot  ride, 
much  to  the  surprise 
and  gratification  of 
my  friends,  who  I 
really  believe  had  felt 
seriously  alarmed 
about  me,  as  it  was 
currently  reported  I 
never  would  reach  the 
Citadel,  and,  in  point 
of  fact,  owing  to  the 
trickery  of  the  Grovern- 
ment,  I did  not.  Before 
I left  the  Cape,  I was 
known  as  the  Ameri- 
can who  had  attempted 
to  ^Hake  ” the  Citadel, 
one  rascal  having  the 
impudence  to  make  a 
sign  of  throat-cutting 
in  pointing  me  out. 

As  I had  the  intention  of  going  overland  to  Gonaives, 
the  Consul  had  asked  for  a letter  for  me  from  the  autho- 
rities, one  of  which,  similar  to  that  given  me  for  Milot, 
was  furnished  by  Alexis  Nord,  the  other,  purporting  to  be 
a recommendation  to  the  authorities  at  Gonaives,  was  given 
into  my  hands  sealed,  and,  in  all  probability,  had  my 
plans  been  carried  out,  would  have  been  duly  delivered  to 
its  address. 

On  my  return,  however,  I found  such  difficulty  in  getting 
horses,  that  I decided  to  avail  myself  of  the  chance  to  visit 
the  entire  north  coast  of  Hayti  in  the  American  steamer 
Port-au-Prince^  which  runs  regularly  from  New  York  to 
this  island  every  month.  For  this  reason  my  letter  to  the 


DUPLICITY  OF  OFFICIALS.  421 


authorities  at  Gonaives  could  be  of  no  further  use,  and  with 
so  much  talk  and  so  much  duplicity  on  the  part  of  the 
officials,  I confess  my  suspicions  were  aroused,  and  my 
curiosity  excited  as  to  the  honesty  of  its  contents.  There- 
fore, after  I left  the  island,  it  being  still  in  my  possession. 
I took  the  liberty  of  opening  it ; and  here  is  its  literal 
translation,  upon  which,  I think,  no  comment  need  be 
made,  as  it  speaks  for  itself,  simply  stating,  however,  in 
justice  to  myself,  that  never,  as  far  as  I know,  did  I give 
hint  or  intimation  to  any  Haytian  that  I had  ever  had 
anything  to  do  with  a United  States  Commission.  It  is 
more  particularly  valuable,  however,  as  an  exposition  of  the 
sentiments  that  seem  to  pervade  the  breast  of  every  Haytian, 
no  matter  what  his  status  socially,  who  has  not  been  out  of 
the  island,  that  the  acme  of  perfection  has  been  reached  by 
Hayti  and  its  people,  from  which  happy  delusion  it  would 
seem  almost  a pity  to  undeceive  them,  were  it  not  that  the 
world  generally,  and  they  particularly,  will  be  benefited  by 
a critical  examination. 

lAheHy.  Equality.  Fraternity. 

Republic  of  Hayti, 

No. Cape  Haytian,  April  2,  1871. 

68th  year  of  Independence. 

Chavannes,  General  of  Division  of  the  armies  of  the  Republic,  Provisional 
Commandant  of  the  Arroudissement. 

To  the  Commandant  of  the  Arrondissement  of  Gonaives. 

General — Monsieur  Hazard,  one  of  the  members  of  the  American  Com- 
mission sent  to  the  eastern  part  of  the  island,  has  been  here  some  days,  coming 
from  Monte  Cristo,  in  order  to  go  to  Port-au-Prince,  for  wliich  he  is  furnished 
with  a permit  from  the  Commander  of  the  Department  North. 

As  we  ought  to  prove  our  independence,  preferring  rather  to  bury  ourselves 
in  our  ruin  than  to  annex  our  country  that  we  have  gained  at  the  price  of  the 
blood  of  our  forefathers,  and  as  we  are  at  the  level  for  which  God  has  created 
us,  men  equal  to  all  men  in  any  part  of  the  world,  I have  not  need,  General,  to 
recommend  for  this  stranger  all  the  regards  you  should  have  for  him,  in  order 
that,  on  his  return  to  his  own  country,  he  may  be  able  to  defend  us  from  the 
“sauvagerie”  of  which  very  often  we  are  accused. 

It  is  with  these  sentiments,  General,  I salute  you  in  the  country  {en  la 
patrie).  Chavannes. 


32 


422 


SAFTO  DOMINGO. 


Sorry  am  I to  confess  that  I cannot  conscientiously  make 
this  defence,  and,  in  fact,  I have  been,  like  most  persons 
who  visit  Hayti,  utterly  disappointed  in  its  people  and 
government ; and  the  candid  and  impartial  traveller,  friend 
of  the  black  race  though  he  he,  must  feel,  in  visiting  this 
island,  that  its  people  have  not  yet  solved  the  problem  of 
self-government ; for  though  their  constitution  seems  to  he 
good  enough,  it  is  yet  so  unwisely  administered  by  those 
in  power,  that  the  country  has  simply  been,  since  Boyer’s 
time,  a country  of  revolutions,  at  the  histoiy  of  which  it 
will  be  well  for  us  to  glance,  in  order  to  properly  understand 
the  condition  of  its  affairs  to-day. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 


“This  country,  which  for  twenty-seven  years  has  never  ceased  to  he  in  a state 
of  revolution,  caused  by  the  ambition  of  those  without  occupation,  who  have 
seen  in  this  way  a means  of  making  money,  or  of  repairing  their  bankruptcies  in 
the  changing  of  Government  officers,  has  need  of  a reform^  moral  and  politicaV^ 

Le  Conte. 


Hayti  from  the  Departure  of  Boyer  in  1843  to  the 
Advent  of  Saget  in  1870. 

TT  would  be  neither  interesting  to  the  reader,  nor  possible 
in  a volume  like  this,  to  detail  the  acts  or  history  of 
every  individual  who  appears  prominent  in  the  annals  of 
Hayti  from  1843  to  the  present  time. 

Eminently  a country  of  factions  and  of  revolutions, 
happily  for  the  world  at  large,  Hayti’s  political  status  has 
in  no  way  affected  the  rest  of  mankind.  Nevertheless  the 
philanthropist  cannot  but  regret  that,  while  the  history  of 
the  rest  of  the  world  shows  a wonderful  record  of  progress, 
civilisation,  and  enlightenment  in  the  past  thirty  years, 
she  alone  stands  a warning,  in  her  present  condition,  of  the 
evils  resulting  from  a lack  of  all  these.  The  excuses  given 
by  the  party  that  overthrew  Boyer,  ‘‘that  he  had  remained 
stationary  for  twenty-five  years,  that  he  had  not  given 
education  to  the  people,  and  that  he  had  maintained  the 
military  system,  which  retarded  civilisation  and  aided 
to  violate  the  law,”  are  just  as  applicable  to-day.  The 
impartial  writer  hardly  needs  to  rely  upon  his  own  judg- 
ment to  form  an  opinion  of  Hayti  and  its  people,  for  so 


424 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


numerous  and  so  frank  have  been  the  confessions  made  by 
many  of  these  literary  patriots,  that  it  is  not  a ver}^  difficult 
matter  to  select  what  is  really  the  truth,  and  that  may  he 
found  embodied  in  the  words  at  the  head  of  this  chapter. 
General  Le  Conte,  who  within  a few  months  has  himself 
become  a martyr  to  this  fever  of  revolution,  and  paid  the 
penalty  of  failure,  was  the  author  of  these  words,  and, 
perhaps,  as  a real  Haytian,  a descendant  of  the  famous 
Dessalines,  as  good  a judge  of  his  people  as  can,be  found. 

Numerous  causes  of  discontent,  however,  added  to  the 
action  of  Boyer  in  paying  indemnity  to  a Spanish  man-of- 
war,  created  the  insurrection  against  him  in  1843,  at  the 
head  of  which  was  General  Herard  Riviere,  a mulatto,  an 
ignorant  soldier,  and  a man,  it  is  said,  without  the  slightest 
political  knowledge  or  experience  ; but  he  Tvas  supported 
by  a body  of  young  men,  who  believed  themselves  justified 
by  the  excuses  given  above  in  overturning  one  Government 
without  having  prepared  plans  for  another. 

Many  of  these  young  men  were  well  instructed  ; some  had 
been  educated  in  Europe’;  but  the  largest  part  of  them, 
and  they  the  most  noisy  and  demonstrative,  had  been 
ruined  by  their  debaucheries.  They  wished,  therefore,  to 
rebuild  their  fortunes,  and,  with  the  vanity  peculiar  to  the 
Haytian,  shine  in  the  first  rank. 

Hardly,  however,  had  Herard  been  installed  at  the  head 
of  the  Government,  when  he  was  compelled  by  the  con- 
dition of  affairs  in  the  Dominican  part  to  march  to  the 
frontier,  and  while  absent,  revolts  broke  out  among  the 
blacks,  and  several  candidates  were  proposed  as  President; 
but  Herard,  returning  at  the  head  of  his  army,  with  the 
assistance  of  some  friends,  effected  a coup  d^etat^  by  which 
he  was  made  President,  and  subsequently,  in  January  1844, 
confirmed  for  life. 

The  pen  tires  in  transcribing  the  names  of  the  Haytian 
Presidents,  they  were  made  so  fast,  after  the  spirit  of 
revolution  had  once  begun  its  career,  and  the  eye  finds  no 


DEMORALISATION  OF  HAYTI. 


425 


period  of  peace  or  tranquillity  among  this  people  on  its 
page  of  history. 

The  revolution  of  Herard,  begun  with  great  promises, 
soon  weakened  under  the  excess  of  zeal  of  its  promoters, 
who  it  is  said  had  deceived  the  country,  and  the  people  were 
again  in  revolt,  wreaking  their  vengeance  and  hate  on  the 
innocent  as  well  as  guilty;  and  from  that  time  to  this,  the 
spirit  of  revolution  seems  to  have  taken  such  hold,  that  the 
Haytian  takes  it  in  with  each  breath  of  air.  For  several 
years  immorality  and  corruption  joined  with  revolution  in 
demoralising  the  country.  Individual  governments,  or  those 
of  party,  succeeded  one  another  in  shorter  or  longer 
intervals,  according  as  the  character  'of  the  chief  was 
more  or  less  strong  and  absolute ; but  the  people  have 
never  had  a voice  in  the  election  of  their  chief  ruler,  for 
some  bold  chief  or  some  party,  having  the  control  of  an 
armed  force,  imposed  its  candidate  upon  the  people, 
who,  too  timid  to  act  otherwise,  accepted  him,  while 
hoping  and  waiting  till  some  more  fortunate  one  should 
have  his  turn. 

Thus  (says  Leconte)  the  laws  have  never  been  observed 
in  Hayti,  and  their  violation  is  the  most -natural  thing  in 
the  world.  The  leaders  demand  their  execution,  but  in 
order  to  facilitate  their  personal  interests,  or  those  of  their 
favourites,  devotion  to  the  country  in  Hajdi  goes  for  nothing; 
it  is  the  devotion  to  a leader  or  individual  that  is  the  act 
of  virtue. 

Thus  Herard,  becoming  unpopular,  was  deposed  by  the 
people,  and  fled  to  Jamaica,  and  an  old  negro,  named 
Guerrier,  was  appointed  his  successor ; but  he  did  not  live 
long  enough  to  have  any  effect,  and  dying  in  1845,  soon 
after  his  election,  he  was  succeeded  by  Pierrot,  a still 
older  negro,  some  seventy  years  of  age.  Nothing  of  any  im- 
portance seems  to  have  occurred  during  his  term,  which  was 
short,  but  a vast  waste  of  money,  induced  by  a system  of 
rewards  to  military  chiefs,  and  an  army  was,  at  great  expense, 


426 


SAA^TO  DOMINGO. 


kept  up,  and  constant  incursions  made  upon  Dominican 
territory. 

In  the  spring,  however,  of  1846,  another  revolution  was 
inaugurated  by  the  nomination  of  General  Riche,  a man 
sixty  years  of  age,  to  the  Presidency,  Pierrot  retiring  dis- 
gusted to  private  life.  \ 

Riche  made  some  elforts  to*  improve  the  condition  of 
affairs,  his  term  being  a great  advance  on  that  of  his  pre- 
decessors, and  some  attempts  were  made  at  general  agri- 
culture ; but  the  revenues  of  the  island  were  principally 
absorbed  b}'  the  army,  and  it  is  said  that  out  of  five  million 
dollars  revenue,  three  millions  were  expended  for  that 
purpose. 

After  the  fall  of  Boyer,  some  of  his  ministers  had  as- 
sisted his  successors  with  their  counsels,  and  the  Ardouins, 
Dupuy,  and  others  were  thus  found  aiding  Riche ; Dupuy, 
a man  skilled  in  affairs  of  state,  it  is  said,  being  his  chief 
councillor ; and  although  petty  revolts  were  occurring  all 
over  the  island,  he  was  enabled  to  maintain  his  position 
for  a short  time. 

But  the  same  causes  which  tended  then  to  demoralise 
the  country  and  unsettle  its  people  are  those  that  render 
it  a hotbed  of  revolution  to-day.  The  bankruptcy  of  its 
treasury,  the  ambition  of  aspiring  chiefs,  the  hatred  of  dis- 
appointed ones,  and  the  want  of  any  regular  system  of 
commerce  and  agriculture,  with  the  incubus  of  an  army 
living  in  idleness  and  eating  up  the  substance  of  the  land, 
must  have  their  effect. 

Riche  dying  in  1847,  the  senate  and  the  country  were 
divided  as  to  his  successor — two  competitors  being  in  the 
field.  Generals  Souffran  and  Paul ; and  in  order  to  get  out 
of  this  difficulty.  Senators  Ardouin  and  Dupuy  named 
Faustin  Soulouque,  and,  on  his  being  proposed  by  the  Presi- 
dent of  the  Senate,  B.  Ardouin.  he  was  declared  chief  of 
the  republic. 

Soulouque  had  been  born  a slave,  and  was  at  eighteen 


GENERAL  SOULOUQUE. 


427 


years  of  age  a slave  of  General  Lamar,  who  took  him  for 
his  aide-de-camp,”  from  which  he  was  slowly  promoted 
until  he  became  a General. 

He  was  superstitions,  illiterate,  and  a member  of  the 
secret  order  of  Yaudoux.  A fine-looking  mulatto  of  about 
sixty-two  years  of  age,  though  appearing  much  younger, 
he  was  excessively  vain  and  fond  of  admiration. 

Without  the  slightest  political  experience  or  knowledge, 
Soulouque,  believed  to  be  a man  without  decision,  will,  or 
fixed  views,  was  thus  selected  by  a coterie  which,  having 
governed  pretty  much  the  countr}^  through  his  predecessors, 
expected  to  find  in  him  the  easy  tool  or  lay  figure  with 
which  to  work. 

The  majority  of  the  people,  astonished  at  first  at  this 
nomination,  that  took  the  country  by  surprise,  remained 
indifferent,  and  some  of  the  most  prominent  men,  laying 
aside  their  prejudices,  determined  to  yield  the  new  official 
their  support  for  the  sake  of  the  country. 

But  it  would  appear  that  if  Soulouque  had  nothing  else 
to  recommend  him,  he  had  at  least  a will  of  his  own,  with 
some  administrative  capacity,  which  quickly  made  him  inde- 
pendent of  his  electors. 

On  making  this  discovery,  these  men,  it  appears,  Tvere 
much  chagrined,  and  endeavoured  to  unite  all  the  coloured 
and  mulatto  infiuence  by  turning  Soulouque  into  ridicule, 
and  finally  conspiring  against  him. 

Soulouque,  however,  threw  himself  into  the  arms  of  the 
blacks  (always  spoken  of  by  the  mulattoes  as  the  ignorant 
blacks),  and  a terrible  and  bloody  struggle  of  caste  ensued, 
April  16,  1848,  in  which  he  was  the  victor ; but  it  was  only 
through  the  interference  of  foreigners  that  more  horrible 
deeds  of  murder  and  bloodshed  were  prevented. 

Soulouque  now  created  an  empire,  as  it  was  called,  and 
in  August  26,  1849,  declared  himself  Emperor,  under  the 
title  of  Faustin  the  First,  appointing  a number  of  his 
followers  to  titles  of  nobility,  to  which  has  been,  and 


428 


SANTO  DOMINGO, 


‘always  will  be,  attached  a certain  amount  of  ridicule, 
though  the  names  bestowed  on  some  were  simply  those  of 
the  districts  to  which  the  French  themselves  had  given 
the  name  of  Limonade,  Marmalade,  &c. 

For  twelve  years  Soul ouque  reigned  in  the  most  absolute 
manner,  like  a tyrant  it  is  said;  but  it  is  also  related  of 
him  that,  though  without  instruction,  he  was  sincere  and 
honest.  At  all  events,  adopting  the  motto,  I am  the  state; 
my  will  is  the  law,”  he  made  himself  felt  throughout 
the  country  as  its  ruler,  and  thus  prevented  any  attempt  at 
conspiracies  against  him. 

Ambitious  to  bring  the  whole  island  under  his  rule,  he 
made  several  attempts  against  the  Dominicans;  and  a 
favourite  oath  of  his  was,  that  he  would  exterminate  the 
rebels  of  the  east  as  so  many  hogs ; but,  as  we  have  already 
seen,  these  attempts  were  unsuccessful. 

Let  us  rejoice,”  he  said  ; we  await  the  future,  when 
a time  shall  come  when  the  people  will  say,  ^ What  a 
beautiful  epoch  was  that  of  Soul  ouque  ! ’ ” 

But  even  this  happy  (?)  reign  was  troubled  by  such  a 
practical  matter  as  payment  of  a debt;  for  the  French  forced 
the  Emperor  to  h}^pothecate  one  half  of  the  customs  duty 
(treaty  of  May  15,  1847)  towards  paying  the  debt  due 
them,  and  of  which  not  one  single  payment  had  been  made 
from  1843  to  1846. 

Notwithstanding  all  this  regal  splendour,  it  does  not 
appear  the  masses  of  the  people  were  either  contented  or 
happy,  and  the  Haytian  phrase  Yet  another  revolution,” 
was  to  be  illustrated  by  Fabre  Nicholas  Geffrard,  one  of 
Soulouque’s  generals,  who,  in  1859  at  Gonaives,  raised  the 
banner  of  revolt. 

Loaded  with  debts  occasioned  by  play  and  libertinage,  it 
is  said  Geffrard  personally  carried  very  little  weight,  but 
announcing  himself  as  the  representative  of  a chief  named 
Paul,  who  was  much  respected  by  the  people,  and  who  had 
already  raised  the  banner  of  revolt  in  the  west  and  south. 


PRESIDENT  GEE  FRAUD. 


429 


lie  was  soon  supported  by  large  numbers  of  the  discontented 
population  ; ^ and  Faustin  the  First  was  compelled  to  leave 
the  glories  of  his  new  empire  behind  him,  and  take 
refuge  in  Jamaica,  where  he  was  soon  to  be  followed  by 
Geffrard. 

The  latter,  however,  soon  came  out  under  his  own  name, 
offering  the  people  a democratic  rule,  with  free  and  liberal 
institutions,  of  which  he  declared  himself  the  champion ; 
and  no  sooner  did  he  feel  assured  by  the  strength  of  his 
followers,  than  he  declared  himself  President  of  the  republic, 
and  the  empire  fell. 

Some  of  the  portraits  made  of  Geffrard  are  not  very 
flattering  ; he  is  pronounced  a hypocrite,  a shallow  man, 
making  great  pretensions;  as  extremely  dishonest  and 
devoted  to  libertinage,  keeping  a number  of  mistresses, 
and  aiding  by  his  own  example  to  demoralise  not  only 
the  3^oung  men,  but  in  seducing  the  young  women  from 
virtue. 

From  the  first  his  rule  gave  no  peace  or  satisfaction  to 
the  country.  An  attempt  made  to  assassinate  him  resulted 
in  the  death  of  his  daughter;  while  his  entire  rule  was  not 
free  from,  executions  and  assassinations,  many  women  even 
suffering  death. 

Born  of  a mulatto  mother  by  a black  father,  Geffrard, 
it  is  said,  availed  himself  of  this  circumstance  to  ingratiate 
himself  with  both  parties,  now  claiming  with  the  blacks 
that  he  was  of  them  through  his  father,  and  in  the  same, 
manner  he  claimed  a position  wfith  the  mulattoes. 

It  was  during  Geffrard’ s rule  that  the  Spaniards,  then  in 
possession  of  the  eastern  part  of  the  island,  threatened  to 
bombard  the  town  of  Port-au-Prince.  The  Haytians,  it 
appears,  had  committed,  as  was  their  frequent  custom,  some 
raids  on  the  frontiers,  carrying  off  horses  and  cattle ; and 
the  Spanish  authorities  immediately  demanded  reparation, 
which  not  being  granted,  a fleet  was  sent  to  Port-au-Prince, 
and  a demand  made  on  Geffrard  for  some  40,000  dollars, 


430 


SANTO  DOMINGO, 


as  also  that  the  Spanish  flag  should  be  saluted.  Forty- 
eight  hours  were  only  allowed  for  a flnal  decision.  Geffrard 
protesting  he  would  not  comply  with  the  terms,  and  the 
Spanish  commander  being  equally  obdurate,  it  was  only 
through  the  influence  of  the  diplomatic  corps  that  the 
latter  consented  to  leave  the  sum  to  be  settled  by  arbitra- 
tion, Geffrard,  under  protest  of  force  alone,  consenting  to 
salute  the  Spanish  flag. 

Nothing,  however,  it  appears,  could  make  Geflrard  popu- 
lar, and  being  well  aware  that  there  must  be  a change, 
he  wisely  decided  to  take  French  leave  of  the  country,  and 
with  a large  amount  of  public  funds  he  made  his  escape 
to  Jamaica. 

Succeeding  Geffrard  came  Sylvain  Salnave,  a plain 
honest  soldier,  who,  supported  by  the  army,  was  sustained 
by  the  great  mass  of  the  people,  especially  the  blacks,  who 
made  him  President  of  the  republic ; but,  with  the  best 
intentions,  he  appears  not  to  have  conciliated  all  parties — 
the  aristocracy,  as  the  mulattoes  are  called,  being  opposed 
to  him. 

Duly  elected  by  the  Constituent  Assembly  on  the  14th  June 
1867,  he  entered  at  once  into  the  discharge  of  his  functions, 
which  by  the  same  Assembly  were  prescribed  to  terminate 
in  May  1871  ; and  the  constitution  at  present  in  force 
was  then  promulgated,  the  customs  laws  passed  by 
Soulouque,  and  slightly  revised  by  Geffrard,  being  enfbrced 
then  as  they  also  are  at  present.  This  constitution,  which 
the  Haytian  people  proclaim  in  presence  of  the  Supreme 
Being,  in  order  to  consecrate  for  ever  its  rights,  its  civil 
and  political  guarantees,  its  sovereignty,  and  its  national 
independence,”  is  undoubtedly  a good  one,  and,  if  fully 
carried  out  in  all  details,  quite  sufficient  to  make  happy  and 
prosperous  any  people  living  in  a land  so  highly  favoured 
by  nature  as  Hayti. 

This  constitution,  amongst  other  articles,  provides  that 
the  Republic  of  Hayti  is  one  and  indivisible,  essentially 


CONSTITUTION  OF  HAYTL 


431 


free,  sovereign,  and  independent.”  The  territory  and  the 
islands  that  belong  to  it  are  inviolable,  and  cannot  be 
alienated  by  a single  treaty  or  convention.  The  territory 
is  divided  into  departments ; each  department  is  sub- 
divided into  arrondissements,”  and  each  one  of  these 
into  communes,”  all  of  which  are  determined  in  their 
number  by  law.  All  Haytians  are  equal  before  the  law. 
They  are  all  equally  entitled  to  civil  and  military  offices, 
dependent  on  merit  alone.  There  is  no  distinction  of 
. birth,  order,  class,  or  colour.  The  liberty  is  guaranteed 
to  every  citizen  to  go  and  come,  remain,  &c.,  without  being 
arrested. 

Yet  to-day  it  is  a common  occurrence  for  the  military 
to  take  young  boys  and  men  from  off  their  mules  in  the 
public  streets,  even  though  they  may  be  household  servants 
with  their  employers  present,’  and  pack  them  off  to  the 
army,  without  asking  permission,  or  the  recruits  having 
any  redress.  No  law  shall  be  ex  post  facto  in  its  effects.” 
Yet  no  change  in  government  has  ever  taken  place  that 
the  upholders  of  the  previous  recognised  stable  authority 
have  not  been  murdered,  imprisoned,  or  exiled — Salnave 
as  we  shall  presently  show,  being  the  first  victim.  Three 
powers  form  the  government — the  legislative,  the  executive, 
and  the  judicial ; and  each  power  is  independent  of  the  two 
others.  The  legislative  power  is  exercised  by  the  Senate 
and  the  Chamber  of  Communes,  forming  together  the 
National  Assembly.  The  President  of  the  republic  is  the 
executive.  The  Chamber  of  the  Communes  is  composed 
of  the  direct  representatives  of  the  people,  elected  by  the 
primary  assemblies  of  each  commune  ; this  chamber  elects 
the  senators.  The  President  of  the  republic  is  elected 
by  the  National  Assembly  for  four  years,  and  no  one  can 
be  re-elected  but  after  an  interval  of  four  years. 

Notwithstanding  this  constitution  and  its  rules,  and  a 
President  who  seemed  desirous  of  conforming  himself  to  it, 
a war-cry  was  soon  raised,  and  again  this  island  was  given 


432 


SANTO  DOMINGO, 


up  to  revolution,  murder,  pillage,  conflagration,  and  blood- 
shed, when  ‘‘  blood  flowed  in  waves,  and  fortunes  were 
utterly  swept  away,  whole  families  being  compelled  to  flee 
to  Jamaica  and  St  Thomas,  with  only  their  jewellery  to 
furnish  means  of  subsistence.” 

Salnave  sustained  himself  with  varying  success  against 
the  revolters,  who  committed  every  crime,  maiming  and 
torturing  their  prisoners,  young  girls  being  violated,  while 
women  and  children  were  ruthlessly  murdered. 

In  Port-au-Prince,  where  Salnave  was  Anally  held  be- 
sieged by  the  Cacos,”  as  the  new  party  was  called, 
crowds  of  distressed  people  sought  the  various  Consulates 
for  safety ; and  though  Salnave  proclaimed  they  would  be 
attacked  if  afibrding  this  shelter,  many  persons  were  pro- 
tected, though  even  foreigners  were  not  safe  from  the 
wrath  of  parties  until  English  and  American  men-of-war 
sailed  into  the  harbour  and  covered  the  town  with  their 
guns. 

In  November  1867,  Chevalier,  one  of  Salnave’s  generals, 
deserted  him  with  a large  body  of  troops,  and  joined  the 
rebels ; and  the  Cape  falling  into  their  hands,  two  of  Salnave’s 
war-steamers  were  captured,  leaving  him  only  one,  the 
Terror^  at  Port-au-Prince. 

On  the  18th  December,  three  rebel  vessels  entered  this 
harbour  at  night,  and,  through  treachery,  captured  her 
without  a shot  being  fired. 

The  news  of  this  capture  aroused  the  city,  when  it  was 
found  that  General  Brice  had  landed  1 500  men,  and  the  town 
was  to  be  attacked.  Salnave,  finding  the  town  had  been 
partially  set  on  Are,  retired  with  his  friends  to  the  grand 
palace,  a handsome  stone  edifice,  where  it  is  said  he  was 
making  his  preparations  to  leave,  as  also  to  resign  his 
position,  when  the  town  was  bombarded  by  the  vessels  in 
the  harbour. 

One  of  these,  the  Terror^  had  its  guns  under  charge 
of  the  only  practical  artillerist  on  board,  a young  American 


PRESIDENT  S A LEAVE. 


433 


Darned  Hall,  and  he,  under  threats  of  taking  his  life,  was 
forced  to  point  a gun  upon  the  palace,  which  he  did  with 
such  precision,  that  a shell  burst  in  the  throne-room,  the 
most  magnificent  in  the  palace,  but  then  filled  with  a large 
quantity  of  powder,  which  exploding,  immediately  blew  up 
the  entire  building. 

Salnave,  who  was  just  mounting  his  horse  to  seek  pro- 
tection at  the  American  minister's,  escaped,  and  took  the 
road  to  La  Coupe  (Petionville),  on  the  heights  above  the 
town,  which  latter  was  only  saved  from  total  destruction 
by  the  crews  of  the  English  men-of-war.  In  the  ruins 
•of  the  palace  five  hundred  men  perished.  Brice  being 
now  in  command  of  the  town,  despatched  the  Terror  to 
bring  Nissage  Saget,  then  at  Arcahaye,  to  the  capital, 
and  on  his  arrival  ensued  still  further  scenes  of  horror, 
many  prominent  men  and  officers  being  proscribed  and 
murdered. 

The  English  Consul  had  persuaded  Salnave  to  retire, 
and  he  sought  shelter  on  the  frontier,  endeavouring  to 
make  his  escape  to  Dominica ; but  he  was  captured  by  that 
high-toned  patriot  Cabral,  January  11,  1870,  who,  surren- 
dering him  to  Saget,  received,  it  is  said,  $5000  in  gold. 

Meanwhile  hundreds  of  people  had  sought  the  protection 
of  Mr  Bassett,  the  American  minister,  who  occupied  a 
country-house  some  two  miles  out  of  the  city ; and  at  one 
time  there  were  over  a thousand  persons,  men,  women, 
and  children,  on  his  ground,  being  fed  at  his  own  expense, 
and  though  demands  were  made  by  the  new  authorities  for 
the  lives  of  these  poor  people,  Mr  Bassett  declared,  at 
immense  risk  to  himself,  that  on  the  score  of  humanity  his  . 
flag  covered  them  all,  and  not  a hair  of  their  heads  should 
be  touched.  All  honour  to  him ! for  his  efforts  were 
successful  in  saving  thousands  of  lives,  though  he  himself 
was  shot  at  on  the  public  streets. 

When  Salnave  was  brought  into  town,  a prisoner,  and 
wounded  in  the  left  hand,  he  was  escorted  by  some  two 


434 


SA^TO  DOMINGO. 


/ 


thousand  soldiers  to  the  court-house,  and  there  tried  by  a 
military  court,  of  which  General  Lorquet  was  president,  on 
the  charges  of  cruelty  and  bloodshed  since  the  time  of 
Gelfrard,  firing  the  town,  and  treason. 

His  trial  lasted  three  hours,  and  he  was  pronounced 
guilty,  sentenced  to  death,  and»  twenty  minutes  after 
taken  to  the  steps  of  his  own  ruined  palace,  and  there 
shot  to  death. 

On  the  29th  May  1870,  the  present  incumbent,  Nissage 
Saget,  was  named  (it  cannot  be  said  elected)  President  for 
four  years,  and  still  remains  at  the  head  of  this  free  and 
orderly  republic  of  Hayti,  whose  citizens  have  reached,  at 
the  price  of  the  blood  of  their  forefathers,  that  level  for 
which  God  has  created  them,  men  equal  to  all  men  in  any 
part  of  the  world.”  God  help  the  world  if  this  were  so  ! 

The  reader  looking  over  this  chapter  will  perhaps  think 
I have  exaggerated  these  events  of  Haytian  history.  I wish 
I could  "say  I had ; but,  on  the  contrary,  I have  been  so 
astounded  at  the  records  written  by  Haytians  themselves, 
that  I have  endeavoured  to  soften  the  details  I found  there, 
lest  I should  be  accused  of  this. 

But  is  Hayti  to-day  any  diiferent,  and  does  it  promise 
any  better  future  ? Alas  ! no  ; that  is  indeed  a blank. 

What  is  this  experiment  of  “ self-government,”  so  de- 
scribed by  some  over-zealous  or  badly-informed  people  ? 
Do  they  not  know  that  at  present  there  exists  in  Hayti  an- 
other of  those  military  despotisms  for  which  the  island  is 
famous ; that  passes  are  required  by  the  country  people  to 
come  to  town  ; that  the  only  police  are  soldiers ; and  that 
not  a year  goes  by  unaccompanied  by  revolution  and  blood- 
shed? 

Do  they  not  know  that  there  are  no  general,  means  of 
education,  or  of  communication,  except  by  roads  ordinarily 
fit  only  for  animals,  most  of  which  even  were  originally 
made  in  the  time  of  the  French;  that  bridges  going  to 
decay  are  not  repaired;  that  there  is  no  general  system 


INDOLENCE  OF  THE  EAYTIANS. 


435 


of  agriculture,  and  absolutely  no  manufacturing  of  any 
kind ; that  positively  there  is  no  freedom  of  opinion  of 
any  kind,  and  that  neither  foreigner  nor  native  dare 
express  their  honest  views,  if  they  are  not  in  accord  with 
the  Grovernment  ? Do  they  know  that  this  Government 
is  bankrupt,  its  coin  depreciated  to  four  hundred  dollars  of 
paper  to  one  in  silver ; while  France  threatens  it  for  a 
settlement  of  its  claims,  and  Prussia  has  been  forced  within 
three  months  past  to  forcibly  seize  Haytian  war-vessels  in 
settlement  of  her  claims,  only  too  glad,  doubtless,  to 
strengthen  her  hold  upon  an  island  whose  principal  trade 
she  monopolises,  whose  merchants  are  principally  composed 
of  her  citizens  ? 

Do  they  not  know  that  the  men  of  the  island  exist  upon 
the  industry  of  the  women,  who  are  really  the  only 
labourers ; and  that,  furthermore,  at  least  two-thirds  of  the 
population  do  not  speak  any  language , recognised  by  the 
civilised  world  ; that  there  is  not  a town  on  the  island  not 
remaining  in  ruins  more  or  less  caused  by  their  revolutions? 

Again,  do  they  not  know  that,  with  acres  and  acres  of 
splendid  sugar-cane,  there  is  hardly  a steam-mill;  that, 
with  a soil  especially  adapted  by  nature  for  coffee-raising, 
there  cannot  be  said  to  be  a dozen  coffee  estates  in  the 
island,  and  that  even  the  coffee,  which,  left  thus  in  its 
wild  state,  grows  in  such  abundance  that  it  cannot  all  be 
harvested,  is  in  the  marts  of  commerce  valued  as  an  inferior 
article,  not  from  any  demerit  of  its  own,  but  from  the 
. fact  that  the  people  are  too  lazy  to  clean  and  prepare  it 
properly  for  market  ? 

I could  here  quote  many  paragraphs  from  Haytian 
writers  themselves  showing  how  conscious  they  are  of  their 
own  shortcomings,  but  space  does  not  permit  me ; yet  I 
cannot  refrain  from  quoting  a few  passages  from  the  works 
of  their  most  celebrated  historian  (Ardouin),  who  says : 
‘‘  In  general  the  people  of  Hayti  are  capable  of  industry; 
a thousand  means  besides  those  of  agriculture  are  offered 


436 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


to  them  to  arrive  at  a state  of  great  prosperity,  but  they 
do  not  avail  themselves  of  them.  In  the  towns,  where 
there  is  a surplus  of  inhabitants,  there  is  no  lack  of  labour, 
but  few  of  the  workmen  acquit  themselves  well  in  tbeir 
task’s.  A great  part  remain  idle,  and  indifferent  to  the 
happiness  that  depends  upon  them;  they  like  better  to 
vegetate  than  live  honestly  by  labour.  The  youth  of  the 
country  give  themselves  up  to  foolishness  and  frivolity, 
and  to  that  idleness  which  is  the  mother  of  all  vice.  The 
crime  most  frequently  committed  is  theft,  and  the  greatest 
number  of  the  criminals  are  the  young.” 

Another  consideration  comes  from  the  natural  union  of 
the  men  with  the  women  without  any  tie  of  marriage,  and 
the  number  of  children  by  one  father  having  different 
mothers,  creating  irregular  and  irresponsible  families  and 
ties.” 

Quoting  from  a late  article  in  one  of  their  papers  {La 
Gazette  du  Peuple,  April  6,  1871),  the  editor  says  : “ For 
sixty-eight  years,  from  which  dates  our  existence,  what  have 
we  done  ? Nothing,  or  almost  nothing.  All  our  constitu- 
tions are  defective,  all  our  laws  are  incomplete ; our  cus- 
tom-houses are  badly  administered,  our  navy  is  detestable, 
our  finances  are  rotten  to  the  base ; our  police  is  badly 
organised,  our  army  is  in  a pitiable  state ; the  legislative 
power  is  not  undel’stood,  and  never  will  be ; the  primary 
elections  are  neglected,  and  our  people  feel  not  their  im- 
portance ; almost  all  our  public  edifices  are  in  ruins ; the 
public  instruction  is  almost  entirely  abandoned.” 

Yet,  not  satisfied  with  her  own  position  and  the  regula- 
tion and  improvement  of  her  own  people  and  affairs,  Hayti 
presumes  to  interfere  with  her  neighbour,  Dominica, 
furnishing  the  disturbers  of  its  peace  with  assistance,  in 
order  to  create  an  impression  that  the  people  of  that  part 
do  not  want  to  join  the  American  Union. 

God  forbid,  that  the  annexation  of  this  part  of  the 
island  should  be  thought  of  by  us  for  one  moment,  even 


GOVERNMENT  OF  HAYTI. 


437 


though  Dominica  becomes  one  of  our  States  ; for  the  people 
of  that  part,  humble  as  they  are,  are  years  ahead  of  the 
mass  of  the  Haytians,  and  it  will  take  years  of  missionary 
enterprise  and  instruction  to  prepare  them  for  the  blessings 
of  civil  liberty  as  enjoyed  by  us. 

Perhaps  to-day  no  nobler  enterprise  could  be  under- 
taken by  the  United  States^  than  the  annexing,  settling, 
and  improving  St  Domingo,  in  order  that,  in  time,  the  in- 
fluence of  its  new  civilisation  might,  by  example  and  its 
spreading  influence,  develop  among  its  dusky  neighbours 
a desire  to  share  in  the  blessings  and  advantages  which  it 
is  the  boast  of  Americans  that  American  institutions 
bring. 

It  is  this  fear,  I truly  believe,  with  which  the  authori- 
ties of  Havti  resrard  Dominican  annexation  to  the  United 

^ O 

States,  for  they  know  well  enough  that  their  safety  and 
control  exist  only  so  long  as  the  masses  of  the  people 
remain  sunk  in  ignorance  and  sloth. 

It  was  during  these  negotiations  Hayti  became  alarmed, 
as  she  always  has  done  at  any  effort  made  by  a foreign 
power  to  get  control  in  the  island;  and  she  assists  with  arms, 
men,  and  munitions  the  rebel  Cabral,  who  is  so  conscious 
himself  of  his  position  that  he  even  entitles  a newspaper 
(purporting  to  be  his  official  organ,  but  which  is  printed 
by  Haytians  at  Port-au-Prince)  Revolutionary  Bulletin; 
and  Luperon,  who  is  simply  a robber  chief,  was  maintained 
likewise ; and  so  patent  to  the  whole  world  was  this  aid 
rendered  by  the  Haytian  authorities,  that  the  records  of  the 
United  States  Consulate  at  Cape  Haytien  bear  the  copies 
of  the  protest  of  the  energetic  Consul  at  that  place  (a  col- 
oured man)  against  this  improper  and  illegal  action  towards 
the  United  States. 

But  perhaps  the  best  illustration  of  the  absence  of  true 
wisdom  and  statesmanship  in  the  government  of  Hayti  is 
its  treatment  of  the  outside  world,  an  example  of  which  is 
the  following,  from  the  report  of  the  United  States  Com- 
33 


438 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


missioners,  three  gentlemen  eminent  for  their  learning, 
statesmanship,  and  philanthropy. 

HAYTI. 

The  Commissioners,  of  course,  felt  a deep  interest  in  the  experiment  of  self- 
government  which  the  blacks  are  trying  in  Hayti.  They  certainly  wished  it 
all  success.  . 

They  could  not  understand  how  any  new  and  close  relations  between  St 
Domingo  and  the  United  States  could  affect  that  experiment  otherwise  than 
favourably.  They  felt  that  it  would  be  unjust  to  our  Government  to  suppose 
that  it  contemplated  any  action  injurious  to  it.  They  had  too  much  faith  in 
the  virtue  of  our  institutions  to  doubt  that  the  form  established  of  similar 
institutions  in  a neighbouring  land  must  act  favourably  upon  republicanism 
and  progress  in  Hayti.  The  only  force  to  be  exerted  would  be  a moral  one, 
the  force  of  example.  They  knew  of  no  valid  claim  which  Hayti  had  against 
St  Domingo,  nor  of  any  rights  or  interests  which  could  be  endangered  by  the 
extension  of  our  institutions  over  the  western  end  of  the  island.  Neverthe- 
less, they  desired  to  give  to  the  Government,  and  to  intelligent  citizens,  an 
opportunity  of  stating  their  views. 

Moreover,  they  desired,  in  the  most  friendly  spirit,  to  make  the  same  obser- 
vations and  study  of  Hayti  and  its  inhabitants  as  they  had  made  of  the 
Dominican  Republic.  They  intimated  to  the  President  and  his  Council  their 
dispositions  and  desires.  They  stated  even  that  they  should  be  glad  to  be 
put  in  the  way  of  ascertaining  what  were  the  claims  of  Hayti  upon  St  Do- 
mingo, and  what  were  the  views  and  wishes  of  the  Haytian  people  with 
respect  to  any  changes  that  might  be  brought  about  in  the  neighbouring 
republic.  But  they  received  no  encouragement  to  pursue  their  inquiries. 
They  asked  verbally,  and  through  our  minister  in  writing,  for  permission  to 
explore  the  interior  of  the  island,  but  this  was  met  in  a spirit  equivalent  to  a 
refusal. 

They  contented  themselves,  therefore,  with  taking  such  testimony,  and 
gathering  such  information  upon  matters  bearing  upon  the  question  of  an- 
nexation, as  they  could  without  giving  offence.  In  reviewing  the  whole  field 
of  their  investigations,  looking  to  the  interests  of  both  divisions  of  the  island, 
they  are  firmly  persuaded  that  the  annexation  of  St  Domingo  to  the  United 
States  would  be  hardly  less  beneficial  to  the  Haytian  than  to  the  Dominican 
people.  This  benefit  would  arise  first  from  the  example  which  would  doubt- 
less be  afforded  of  a well-regulated,  orderly,  and  prosperous  State,  the  ‘great 
need  of  that  part  of  the  world,  and  which  it  has  as  yet  never  seen  ; a second 
and  more  direct  benefit  would  arise  from  the  equitable  establishment  of  a 
boundary  line  between  the  French-speaking  and  the  Spanish-speaking  nations 
upon  that  island,  and  its  guarantee  by  a strong  power. 

This  would  end  the  exhausting  border  warfare  which  has  been  one  of  the 
greatest  curses  of  Hayti  as  well  as  St  Domingo,  and  would  enable  both  to 


MILITARY  AMBITION. 


439 


devote  their  energies  thenceforward  to  the  education  of  their  people  and  the 
development  of  their  resources. 

Respectfully  submitted, 

B.  F.  Wade, 

Andrew  D.  White, 

S.  G.  Howe. 

To  the  President  of  the  United  States. 

Naturally  such  a state  of  affairs  as  herein  described  must 
have  its  effect  upon  the  character  of  its  people,  and  thus 
the  lower  order  of  Haytians  are  utterly  ignorant  aud  illi- 
terate. They  are  improvident  and  thoughtless  of  the 
future,  from  a consciousness  that  their  lands  are  held  by 
a tenure  often  depending  on  the  whim  of  an  officer,  and 
are,  moreover,  liable  to  the  devastations  of  contending 
armies.  They  attend  not  to  the  increase  of  planting.  The 
pruning-knife  seldom  checks  the  rank  luxuriance  of  the 
coffee-tree,  or  the  hoe  extirpate  the  choking  weeds.  The 
first  3^ears  of  Haytian  independence  gave  a gleam  of  pros- 
perity, for  the  country  was  in  that  secondary  stage  of  for- 
wardness in  which  the  French  left  it,  and  from  which  it 
has  since  gradually  declined.” 

Of  the  better  class  and  the  leaders,  the  following  from 
a prominent  Haytian,  who  was  very  frank  with  me, 
gives  this  expression  of  his  views  and  experience  : The 

greatest  ambition  of  a Haytian  is  military  glory ; to 
become  a general  is  the  very  pinnacle  of  his  hopes,  and  to 
attain  this,  anything  will  be  sacrificed.  If  the  country  be 
at  peace,  and  he  see  no  chance  in  this  way  to  get  in,  he 
sets  about  getting  up  a revolution  ; this  once  attained,  and 
successful,  the  victors  take  the  spoils,  until  they,  in  their 
turn,  have  to  give  place  to  other  successful  ones.  Mean- 
while the  country  goes  to  ruin ; the  blacks  do  not  work, 
because  lazy  and  indifferent ; the  peaceable  better  classes 
remain  as  quiet  as  they  are  allowed  to  be,  while  a small 
party  in  power  holds  despotic  control  over  the  lives,  hopes, 
and  fortunes  of  the  others,  without  doing  anything  to  better 
either  the  country  or  its  people.  Consequently  most  of  the 


440 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


business  of  the  country  is  done  by  foreign  traders,  who, 
under  the  protection  aiforded  by  their  flags,  transact  busi- 
ness, taking  care,  in  return  for  the  risks  they  run,  to  exact 
exorbitant  profits  wherever  they  can ; even  with  this  they 
have  their  privileges  restricted,  and,  as  a general  thing,  the 
Government  is  largely  in  their  debt.” 

No  wonder  that  Candler,  the  champion  of  the  black  race, 
who  visited  the  island  in  1840,  and  distributed  books  and 
tracts,  was  compelled,  even  in  the  then  more  favourable 
condition  of  the  island,  to  say,  What  a mournful  exhibi- 
tion is  thus  presented  to  us  of  the  morals  of  Hayti ! How 
earnestly  must  the  friends  of  freedom  and  of  good  order 
in  civil  society  desire  amelioration  in  the  institutions  of 
the  country ! ” 

What  would  he  now  say  ? 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 


“ Oh  ! whence,  as  wafted  from  Elysium — whence 
These  perfumes,  strangers  to  the  raptured  sense  ; 
Tliese  houghs  of  gold,  and  fruits  of  heavenly  hue, 
Tinging  with  vermeil  light  the  billows  blue  ? ” 


Coasting  the  Island — Passengers  and  Tropical  Mode  of  Travel 
— Coast  Scenery — Port  de  Paix — Tortuga  Island — St  Nicholas 
Mole — Bay  of  Port-au-Prince — The  Tow7i — Odd  Appeara7icc 
— Lack  of  Hotels — Subu7'bs  of  Port-au-Prince — Pretty  Coimtry- 
houses — Old  French  Places — La  Coupe — Road-niakmg — Hay- 
tia7i  Soldiers — Feelmg  about  A7i7iexation — Noble  Co7iduct  of 
he  United  States  Minister — Aiding  the  Dominican  Revolu- 
tionists — Visit  to  the  l7iterior  — Sugar  Pla7itatio7is  — Lake 
Azuey — A Swim  in  lieu  of  a Dinner — A Lo7ig  Ride  in  Bad 
Weather — Departure — Go7iaives. 

AX  the  morning  of  April  3,  we  went  on  board  of  the 
^ steamer,  having  bid  good-bye  to  our  good  friends  of 
the  Cape,  and  found  a large  number  of  passengers  already 
congregated  on  the  deck,  the  majority  of  them  being  Hay- 
tians  of  various  shades  of  colour.  These  people  were  mostly 
members  of  the  Senate  and  House  on  their  way  to  Port-au- 
Prince,  where  these  bodies  were  just  going  into  session. 
They  seemed  to  be  a well-behaved,  polite  set  of  people, 
several  of  the  legislators  being  quite  young  men,  while  one 
of  the  senators  was  a venerable,  corpulent  negro. 

The  'Port-au-Prince  was  a moderate-sized  steamer,  with 
accommodations  for  a sea-voyage  of  only  about  twenty 
passengers,  but  she  had  probably  twice  that  number  now. 


442 


SARTO  DOMINGO. 


But  as  the  voyage  around  the  island  is  a very  smooth  and 
pleasant  one,  the  Haytians  lived  and  slept  on  deck  under 
the  awning ; in  fact,  I found  it  more  agreeable  myself  to 
swing  my  hammock  aft,  and  rest  in  that,  than  go  below  in 
the  warm  cabin. 

Rather  an  odd  sight,  though,  to  see  passengers  on  a 
steamer  content  themselves  with  spreading  their  mattresses 
and  blankets  upon  the  deck,  and  thus  get  their  night’s 
rest — men,  women,  and  children  being  huddled  together 
promiscuously. 

The  steamer  is  owned  by  a New  York  firm,  and  came 
out  direct  from  that  place  to  Cape  Haytian,  consigned  to 
the  American  house  of  Murray,  Price,  & Co.  The  company 
has  a subsidy  of  $40,000  per  year  from  the  Haytian  Govern- 
ment, which  I believe  remains  unpaid  for  two  years  past, 
for  which  subsidy  the  steamer  carries  a mail  once  a month, 
and  also,  free,  the  members  of  the  Government  and  their 
families  between  the  capital  and  the  Cape. 

The  anchor  is  up,  and  off  we  go  from  this  beautiful  hay  ; 
but  keeping  close  in  shore  we  have  the  opportunity  of 
seeing  the  lovely  scenery  of  the  Haytian  coast ; and  nothing 
can  he  more  charming  than  thus  voyaging  in  these  tropic 
seas  amid  such  beautiful  scenes,  where,  as  in  the  present 
case,  our  company  was  pleasant,  the  ship  agreeable,  and  its 
officers  attentive. 

I was  much  interested  with  the  talk  I had  with  the 
Haytians  about  themselves  and  their  Government,  and  they 
all  expressed  much  sympathy  in  the  rude  treatment  I had 
received  at  the  hands  of  the  authorities,  the  Citadel  stor}^ 
seeming  to  he  familiar  to  them,  and  of  which  they  professed 
to  speak  as  a great  outrage.  They  may,  or  may  not,  have 
been  sincere,  hut  at  all  events  they  heard  some  candid 
opinions  from  me. 

These  members  expected  a warm  time  in  the  Assembly 
with  Saget,  the  President  of  the  republic,  as  there  was  a 
dead  lock  between  them  on  various  questions,  and  one  or 


COAST  SCENERY. 


443 


the  other  would  have  to  yield,  else  there  would  ensue  still 
another  of  the  many  revolutions  which  are  periodical  on 
this  island. 

The  greatest  trouble  affecting  the  present  Government 
is  to  know  how  to  run  its  finances,  as  the  paper  money 
now  out  has  little  or  no  value,  and  in  fact  there  is  nothing 
of  value  in  the  republic  upon  which  to  base  credit,  unless 
the  customs  are  hypothecated;  The  greatest  revenue  is 
obtained  from  the  export  duty  on  coffee,  which  amounts 
to  an  enormous  sum,  but  which  kills  the  industry  of  the 
country,  making  the  coffee  so  high  to  export  to  foreign 
markets  that  millions  of  pounds  are  left  unpicked  on  the 
trees  each  year. 

This  I can  readily  believe,  for  as  we  sailed  along  the 
coast  we  did  not  see  any  signs  of  a thickly-settled  country 
or  of  a general  agriculture.  Only  occasionally  we  saw 
clearings  on  the  hill-side  that  marked  the  residence  of 
some  settler ; yet  the  country  is  beautiful  in  the  extreme, 
and,  as  the  Haytians  on  board  told  me,  splendid  coffee 
land. 

Now  we  are  entering  a noble  canal  or  passage  formed  by 
the  island  of  Tortuga  and  the  mainland,  and  upon  the 
shore  of  the  latter  is  spread  out  before  us  the  little  town 
of  Port  de  Paix,  presenting  a pleasing  aspect  from  the  sea. 
It  is  a small  place,  with  tolerably  well-built  houses  of  stone, 
a large  church,  and  a public  fountain;  but  the  site  of  the 
town  is  unhealthy  from  the  low,  marshy  nature  of  the  land 
in  the  vicinity  ; but  the  country  about  it  is  said  to  be  fertile 
in  coffee,  with  forests  of  many  valuable  woods. 

Its  historic  interest  is  centred  in  the  fact  that  Columbus 
landed  here  on  his  first  voyage,  naming  the  place  Valparayso, 
or  Valley  of  Delight;  it  was  also  the  dwelling-place  of  one 
of  the  ancient  caciques ; and  the  French,  being  driven  from 
the  island  of  Tortuga  opposite,  settled  here,  and  gave  it  the 
present  name  of  Peaceful  Port. 

Tortuga  (or  Turtle)  Island,  which  forms  the  other  shore 


444 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


of  this  channel,  is  about  nine  leagues  long  and  some  two 
miles  in  its  greatest  width,  and  is  apparently  uninhabited 

and  uncultivated,  but 
the  woods  upon  it  are 
said  to  be  very  valuableo 
This  island  is  note= 
worthy  as  being  the  ori- 
ginal home  of  the  famous 
‘‘buccaneers,”  freeboot- 
ers, or  filibusters  of  the 
New  World. 

Leaving  Port  de  Paix, 
the  character  of  the 
shore  seems  to  change 
very  much,  and  becomes 
more  wild  and  barren, 
with  occasional  hills  of 
the  cofiee,  and  late  in 
the  afternoon  we  came  to 
the  superb  harbour  and 
bay  of  Mole  St  Nico- 
las. This  is  the  first 
place  in  the  whole  island 
whereEuropeans  landed, 
Columbus  entering  the 
bay  on  the  6th  of  De- 
cember 1492,  and  nam- 
ins:  it  St  Nicolas'  in 
honour  of  the  patron 
saint  of  that  day.  He 
gave  it  the  name  after- 
wards of  Mole  from  its 
shape. 

This  place,  called  the 
Gibraltar  of  the  New 
World,  remained  almost  unsettled  until  1764^  but  it  was 


ST  XICOLAS’  MOLE. 


445 


successively  settled  by  French,  Germans,  and  English,  and 
at  different  times  immense  sums  of  money  have  been  spent 
on  its  forts  and  walls,  which,  in  the  numerous  attacks  and 
revolutions  from  which 
it  has  suffered,  have  be- 
come in  a great  degree 
ruined  and  dismantled 
— Cristophe  having  or- 
dered all  the  principal 
forts  to  be  destroyed. 

The  bay  itself  makes  a 
fine  picture  from  the 
sea,  and  ships  of  the 
largest  size  can  ride  out 
gales  with  perfect  safety. 

The  soil  here  is  arid  and 
poor,  and  produces  in 
perfection  only  the  grape 
and  the  fig.  But  the 
climate  is  said  to  be  ex- 
tremely healthy. 

This  port  or  bay  is 
esteemed  to  be  as  valu- 
able and  commanding  a 
place  in  the  west  of  the 

island  as  Samana  Bav 

%/ 

is  on  the  east,  com- 
manding as  it  does  the 
channel  between  Hayti 
and  Cuba,  and  probably, 
under  any  strong  and 
stable  Government, 
would  become  an  im- 
portant and  strong  naval 
rendezvous  in  these  waters. 

From  this  point  the  shores  become  yery  barren  and 


446 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


unattractive,  were  it  not  that  nature  assumes  such  strange 
shapes  in  the  volcanic-looking  rocks  of  the  shore,  or  the 
terracQ  tablelands  that  look  like  artificial  glacis.  Then 
follows  a forbidding-looking  coast,  hardly  shrub  or  sign  of 
vegetation  to  be  seen  ; but  the  rocks  rise  up  in  level  plains 
or  ledges,  that  assume  the  form  which  entitles  them  to  the 
name  aptly  bestowed  upon  them,  The  Platforms.” 

Night  closes  on  us  as  we  enter  the  bay  in  which  is 
situated  Port-au-Prince,  and  which  at  daybreak  all  hands 
are  called  to  see.  A magnificent  harbour  and  a queer  old 
town  indeed,  are  our  first  impressions,  not  much  changed 
by  further  investigations ; there  also  we  find  at  anchor  a 
little  fleet  of  Haytian  men-of-war. 

A lively  time  we  had  of  it,  as  we  got  into  the  dock,  with 
the  chattering  of  these  coloured  people,  both  on  board  and 
ashore ; but  the  sight  of  the  only  wharf  in  the  port  nearly 
finished  me;  for,  utterly  broken  and  decayed,  it  was  the 
only  one  allowed  by  the  Government,  and  upon  it  were 
nearly  naked  negroes  with  sacks  of  coffee  on  their  heads, 
balancing  themselves  on  the  loose  planks,  an  exploit  which 
we  ourselves  became  quite  familiar  with.  To  show  how 
this  Government  is  conducted,  this  wharf  has  been  supposed 
to  be  under  repair  by  a friend  for  some  time,  who  took 
the  contract  from  the  Government  with  the  understanding 
that  he  might  import  the  lumber  for  it  duty  free ; at  the 
same  time  the  authorities  also  passed  an  ordinance  that 
no  other  lumber  should  be  landed  within  the  city  limits. 
It  need  only  be  said  that,  since  that  time,  if  all  the 
lumber  had  been  put  upon  the  wharf  that  was  imported 
for  it,  it  would  be  as  big  as  a mountain. 

It  had  been  my  intention,  on  reaching  Port-au-Prince, 
and  seeing  that  part  of  the  island,  to  have  gone  overland 
to  Jacmel ; but  the  experience  of  what  I had  seen  of  this 
part  of  Hayti  satisfied  me  that  I should  not  be  repaid  for 
my  trouble. 

As  the  steamer,  owing  to  the  intervention  of  the  Holy 


UNITED  STATES  MINISTER’S  HOUSE.  447 


Weekj  would  be  detained  in  port  some  ten  days  or  two  weeks, 
I was  only  too  gdad  to  make  my  arrangements  to  proceed 
to  the  United  States  in  her. 

There  being  no  hotel  of  any  respectable  kind  in  the  town, 
I was  glad  to  accept  the  kind  offers  of  hospitality  made  to 
me  by  our  minister  and  others. 

Mr  Bassett,  the  United  States  minister,  lives  most 
delightfully,  about  a mile  out  of  town,  on  a hill  overlooking 
the  town  and  bay,  affording  a superb  view  in  ever}'’  direc- 


United  States  Minister's  House. 


tion,  while  the  place  is  charming  in  its  luxuriant  vegeta- 
tion, having  also  a marble  bath  large  enough  for  swimming, 
with  water  fresh  and  cold  from  the  mountain  stream. 

This  dwelling  was  originally  built  in  1849  for  one  of 
the  many  rulers  of  Hayti,  the  Emperor  Soulouque ; and 
though  making  no  pretension  to  elegance,  is  a house  ])er- 
fectly  adapted  to  a climate  where  one  passes  most  of  the 
time  out  of  doors  or  on  piazzas,  of  which  this  has  an 


448 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


ample  supply ; and  here,  amid  flowers,  or  shaded  from  the 
sun  by  awnings  conveniently  lowered  on  the  porticoes,  one 
escapes  entirely  the  dieats  and  odours  of  the  town  below, 
while  favoured  by  ever  pure  and  fresh  breezes  from  the 
neighbouring  mountains. 

Near  to  Mr  Bassett’s  are  several  other  beautiful  places, 
with  terraced  gardens,  roomy  and  stone-built  dwellings, 
and  superb  stone  swimming-baths,  in  which  the  ladies  of 
the  families  swim  as  well  as  the  men.  Most  of  these  places 
were  originally  owned  by  the  old  French  planters,  and 
from  them  can  be  obtained  an  idea  of  the  luxurious  manner 
in  which,  during  the  palmy  days  of  Hayti,  the  French 
planters  lived. 

I was  particularly  glad  to  meet  these  places,  as  showing 
me  what  a reflned,  energetic,  and  intelligent  people  could 
make  for  themselves  in  the  way  of  beautiful  homes  and 
plantations  in  the  St  Domingo  portion  of  the  island,  under 
a strong  and  stable  government. 

Some  of  my  most  delightful  hours  were  spent  enjoying 
the  kind  hospitality  of  Mr  Bassett  and  his  lady,  sharing 
with  them  some  delightful  rides  on  horseback,  both  to  the 
town  as  well  as  the  neighbouring  country.  One  ride  of  an 
evening  I remember  with  particular  pleasure,  up  the  flne 
mountain  road  to  La  Coupe,  a beautiful  village  at  the  top 
of  the  hill.  The  road  all  the  way  up  was  apparently  dug 
out  of  the  mountain  side,  solidly  constructed  like  a turnpike, 
and  afforded  us  most  superb  views  of  a lovely  valley 
between  the  mountain  ranges,  and  also  of  the  town  and 
baj"  of  Port-au-Prince. 

This  was  the  only  real  attempt  at  a road  in  the  whole  of 
St  Domingo  or  Hayti  that  I saw;  but  it  was  enough  to 
show  that  no  great  difficulty  is  to  be  encountered  in  open- 
ing the  whole  island  to  good  means  of  communication  and 
travel. 

Having  arrived  during  Holy  Week,  we  found  business 
pretty  much  at  a stand  still.  Holy  Thursday  being  kept  as 


I 


% 


POKT-AU-i'KINCE. 


VISIT  TO  HAYTIAN  MAN-OF-WAR. 


449 


a close  holiday  by  the  people  and  authorities.  I was  much 
amused,  while  in  the  cabin  of  our  steamer,  by  a visit  paid 
by  a coloured  gentleman,  who  said  he  was  the  officer  of  the 
guard  at  the  wharf,  to  the  captain  of  the  ship.  This  official 
stated  he  waited  on  him,  the  captain,  to  tell  him  that  he 
must  not  permit  any  one  to  work  on  that  day,  as  it  was  a 
holy  day,  and  the  authorities  did  not  allow  it.  The  captain 
told  me  to  say  that  he  had  permission  from  the  authorities, 
and  that,  in  fact,  work  never  ceased  on  board  ship.  My 
acting  as  interpreter  engaged  me  in  quite  a long  and 
amusing  theological  discussion  with  this  august  official, 
the  disputed  points  of  which  were  finally  settled  by  our 

taking  a drink  ” together,  which  he  seemed  nothing 
loth  to  do. 

Mr  Hall,  an  American,  who  has  served  in  our  navy, 
being  chief  of  artillery  on  board  the  Haytian  man-of-war 
Terror^  I gladly  accepted  his  invitation  to  go  on  board  of  her, 
and  a highly  interesting  visit  I had.  She  is  commanded  by 
a Frenchman  formerly  in  the  French  merchant  service,  and 
has  several  white  officers,  while  her  engineer  and  crew  are 
all  black.  I was  pleased  most  with  the  beautiful  order  in 
which  Mr  Hall  had  his  batteries,  the  pieces  of  which  were 
principally  10-inch  Parrott  guns,  with  one  or  two  11-inch 
Dahlgrens.  The  vessel  was  quite  a large  one,  and  seemed 
in  excellent  order,  barring  the  crew,  who,  I thought,  were 
rather  ragged  and  dirty,  which  can  be  accounted  for  from 
the  fact  that  only  one  suit  of  clothes  is  issued  to  them  at  a 
time  by  the  Government. 

Port-au-Prince,  the  capital  of  the  republic  of  Hayti,  is 
certainly  an  interesting  town  for  a few  days  to  the 
stranger,  not  alone  from  its  being  the  principal  town  in  the 
Island  of  Hayti,  and  curious  in  its  architecture  and  appear- 
ance, but  also  from  its  historical  associations. 

The  town  was  pei’manently  established  as  far  back  as 
1749,  the  convenience  of  its  location  to  all  the  other  points  in 
the  island,  as  well  as  its  proximity  to  the  most  fertile  plain 


450 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


of  the  island,  the  Cul-de-sac,  being  the  principal  reason  of 
its  present  location. 

Different  portions  of  it  were  originally  built  at  different 
times,  but,  like  all  the  other  towns  of  importance  in  Hayti, 
its  original  character  has  been  very  much  changed  by  the 
succession  of  revolutionary  fires  and  earthquakes  to  which, 
since  the  period  of  its  settlement,  it  has  been  subjected. 

The  ground  upon  which  it  is  situated  has  a rather  abrupt 
descent  from  the  hills  around  down  to  the  edge  of  the  sea. 
The  streets,  which  are  wide  and  of  good  width,  run  at  right 
angles  to  this  bay  front,  being  crossed  at  regular  intervals 
by  others,  which  thus  gives  the  town  the  appearance  of  being 
laid  out  with  great  regularity,  for  while  on  board  ship  in  the 
harbour  one  can  see  these  principal  streets  extending  back 
up  the  hill  some  distance,  except  to  the  south,  where  the 
plain  terminates  at  the  foot  of  the  range  of  mountains. 


A Street  in  Port-au-Prince. 


Directly  in  front  of  the  town  are  several  small  islands, 
which  tradition  says  gave  their  name  to  the  town,  from  the 
fact  that  they  were  known  as  the  Prince  Islands,  while  far 


PORT-AU-PRIKCE. 


451 


out  in  the  bay  are  seen  the  hazy  hills  of  the  Isle  of  Gonave, 
which,  with  the  point  of  land,  Cape  St  Mcolas,  really 
forms  the  harbour  of  Port-au-Prince. 

This  Isle  of  Gonave  is  said  to  be  about  forty  miles  long 
by  nine  wide,  with  valuable  woods  growing  upon  it,  and  a 
climate  remarkably  healthy,  but  it  is  to-day  unsettled ; its 
ancient  name,  familiar  to  Irving’s  readers,  was  Guanabo  or 
Guanabano. 


Bay  of  Port-au-Prince  from  the  House  of  the  United  States  Minister. 

Port-au-Prince  is  reputed  to  be  a very  unhealthy  place  at 
times,  much  fever,  both  yellow  and  native,  prevailing  there; 
and  if  the  theory  of  the  prevalence  of  the  mangrove-trees 
be  true,  it  is  easily  accounted  for,  the  shores  and  islands 
being  covered  with  these  breeders  of  pestilence. 

Historians  tell  us  that  at  one  time  the  town  possessed 
handsome,  solid  structures,  including  public  buildings, 
fountains,  churches,  &c.;  but  if  so,  they  have  almost  entirely 
disappeared,  or  left  ruined  walls  to  mark  where  they  might 
have  been,  for  to-day  even  the  houses  of  the  Assembly 
are  of  wood  of  most  ordinary  construction,  while  the 
34 


452 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


President’s  palace  itself  is  only  mediocre  as  an  ordinary 
building.  The  ruins  of  the  palace  of  Salnave  are  still 
extant,  and  show  that  they  may  have  been  a very  majestic 
series  of  buildings,  quite  imposing  in  their  architecture, 
while  occasional  fountains,  the  worse  for  age  and  neglect, 
show,  in  different  parts  of  the  city,  attempts  in  ancient 
days  to  beautify  the  place. 

There  is  yet,  however,  in  existence  an  immense  stone  basin 
in  the  upper  part  of  the  city,  originally  built  and  still  used 
for  the  purpose  of  bathing  the  horses  of  the  town’s-people,  a 
degree  of  luxury  of  which  no  other  city  I know  can  boast. 

To“day  the  lower  part  of  the  city  has  a good  many  fine 
warehouses,  principally  those  of  foreign  merchants,  who 
live  on  the  second  floors ; but  the  great  majority  of  the 
houses  are  built  of  wood,  in  the  most  nondescript,  irregular 
styles  of  architecture.  The  market-places  are  mere  open 
squares,  and  the  church,  though  large,  has  nothing  remark- 
able about  it ; but  the  streets,  lined  with  their  odd  stores 
and  contents,  void  of  sidewalks,  and  filled  constantly  with 
people,  present  an  odd  and  novel  appearance. 

There  seem  to  be  no  sanitary  rules  whatever,  and  the 
only  cleansing  of  which  I beard  was  that  of  the  city  streets 
by  the  heavy  rains  and  showers.  In  fact,  quite  in  the  city, 
and  upon  the  open  square,  dead  animals  are  taken  and  left 
to  die  and  rot  without  hindrance  from  any  one. 

It  being  the  Holy  Week,  with  a great  deal  of  show  and 
ceremony  goingon,  I had  an  opportunity  of  seeing  a good 
many  interesting  sights,  the  military  displays  and  Govern- 
ment shows  being  the  principal  ones. 

The  President  and  his  staff  made  a great  display  in  their 
brilliant  uniforms,  the  former  particularly,  who,  though  a 
man  over  fifty  years  of  age,  was  gorgeous  in  diamonds, 
feathers,  and  gold  lace. 

My  admiration  (?)  for  the  soldiers  was  mingled  with  pity 
on  account  of  the  nature  of  their  clothing,  which,  however 
brilliant  in  hiofh-coloured  braids  and  flannel  ornament. 


NATIVE  POPULATION. 


453 


must  be  awful  hot  for  them  in  this  climate,  consisting  as  it 
does  of  our  old  army  clothing.  The  people  are,  I under- 
stand, a little  “ down  ” on  the  Americans  on  this  subject, 
it  appearing  that  their  uniforms  were  a lot  sold  at  auction 
at  Baton  Rouge,  at  one  of  our  Government  army  sales, 
purchased  by  a government  officer  in  New  York  for  about 
$6,  and  sold  at  $26  to  the  Haytian  Government.  This 
uniform  is  sarcastically  called  the  Van  Bockkelen  uniform 
in  Port-au-Prince. 

Of  course,  the  population  are  principally  blacks,  while 
the  mulatto  class  constitute  the  principal  aristocracy,  to 
which  are  added  the  white  French  creoles,  as  also  many  of 
the  foreign  merchants,  and  at  a social  gathering  all  these 
will  be  seen  in  various  proportions  according  to  circum- 
stances. 

As  many  of  the  native  coloured  population  have  been 
educated  in  France,  there  are  found  a good  many  highly- 
cultured  men,  extremely  courteous  and  gentle  in  their 
manners ; and  of  some  of  the  younger  men,  only  a few 
removes  from  white,  many  may  be  said  to  be  quite  elegant 
in  their  dress  and  manners.  Among  the  creole  population 
one  meets  with  extremely  lively  and  agreeable  women,  many 
of  whom  are  married  to  foreigners. 

The  old  distinction  of  colour,  however,  exists  even  here, 
I am  told ; for  the  mulattoes  pride  themselves  on  being  a 
different  people  from  the  blacks,  while  the  latter  sneer  at 
the  former  as  being  neither  white  nor  black. 

I found  a good  many  English-speaking  people,  and 
amongst  them  some  coloured  people  who  settled  here  years 
ago,  established  themselves  in  business,  and  are  now  doing 
well.  I had  many  conversations  with  them,  among  whom 
there  seems  to  exist  a great  difference  of  opinion  about 
some  things.  For  instance,  some  say  annexation  is  the  only 
salvation  for  the  island ; others  say  it  would  not  do  at  all ; 
and  one  individual,  speaking  of  the  annexation  of  St 
Domingo,  said,  The  time  has  not  come  yet  for  it.” 


454 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


Why  not?  ” I asked. 

Because  the  day  that  that  takes  place  there  won’t  he  a 
white  man  left  alive  in  the  island.”  (?  ! ! !) 

Mr  Bassett,  our  minister,  I find,  has  made  a great  many 
friends  for  himself  by  the  straightforward,  manly  course 
he  pursues,  and  though  naturally  he  does  not  please -every 
one,  yet  he  is  extremely  popular  with  the  majority. 
Certainly,  if  Mr  Washburne  received  so  much  praise  for 
his  course  at  Paris,  what  ought  to  be  said  of  Mr  Bassett’s 
course  here  during  the  Salnave  troubles,  when  nearly  3000 
people  sought  the  protection  of  our  flag  at  his  office  and 
house,  and  where  he,  on  the  score  of  humanit}^,  refused  to 
allow  a single  person  to  be  harmed  by  the  excited  revolu- 
tionists thirsting  for  their  blood  ? 

Standing  alone  at  that  time  in  his  position,  shot  at  in 
the  public  streets,  and  without  the  presence  of  a single 
American  man-of-war  to  sustain  him,  he  fed  and  cared  for 
those  people  at  his  own  expense,  and  though  his  course 
was  sustained  by  the  authorities  at  home,  I am  sorry  to 
say  the  money  he  then  spent  has  never  yet  been  refunded — 
a nice  encouragement  for  an  official  to  assume  such  noble 
responsibility ! 

I picked  up  a great  deal  of  curious  information  about  the 
St  Domingo  business  while  I was  in  Port-au-Prince.  I 
found  the  locality  from  which  emanate  all  the  proclamations 
of  Cabral,  and  was  permitted  to  take  from  the  press  itself, 
where  it  was  being  printed,  copies  of  the  paper.  The 
Dominican  Flag^  or  Revolutionary  Bulletin.^  which  purports 
to  be  printed  in  San  Juan  in  Dominican  territory,  but 
which  is  made  up  here,  as  well  in  its  accounts  of  imaginary 
battles  and  victories,  as  its  truthful  (?)  sentiments  of  the 
‘‘  Dominicans.” 

The  printer  of  this  sheet  laughingly  told  me  he  always 
took  care  to  get  his  money  for  the  printing  and  work ; 
and  that  was  the  end  of  his  business.  I also  had  the 
pleasure  of  meeting  the  distinguished  author  of  Cabral’s 


VISIT  TO  THE  INTERIOR. 


455 


Protest”  to  the  Commissioners,  who,  on  my  quizzing  him 
about  it,  laughingly  replied,  ‘‘Well,  Cabral  signed  it,  even 
if  I did  write  it.”  This  same  party  confessed  to  me  that 
though  it  was  his  business  to  write  against  annexation, 
he  was  perfectly  aware  the  people  of  St  Domingo  were 
unanimous  in  favour  of  it. 

I was  a little  puzzled  for  a day  or  two  to  know  how  to 
get  hack  into  the  country,  as  I was. quietly  informed  no 
permission  would  be  granted  me,  if  asked  for,  by  the  autho- 
rities. As  I had,  however,  a passport  regularly  vised  by 
government  authority,  I determined  to  take  my  chances  and 
“ go  it  alone.”  This  was  more  easy  for  me  to  do  from  the 
fact  that  I had  a letter  to  an  American  merchant  here  who 
owns  a large  sugar  estate  some  distance  back  in  the 
interior,  and,  as  he  was  at  his  place,  made  my  arrange- 
ments to  pay  him  a visit. 

Having  found  a horse  to  carry  me  and  my  traps,  and 
having  very  luckily  found  a guide  in  the  person  of  an 
engineer,  who  was  going  to  the  very  place  of  my  destina- 
tion to  repair  some  of  the  sugar-mill  machinery,  I started 
out  of  the  northern  gate  of  Port-au-Prince  for  the  sugar 
place  of  La  Selle,  in  the  grand  plain,  of  the  Cul-de-sac, 
famous  in  all  time  for  its  splendid  agricultural  qualities. 

Our  road  was  a broad,  level  one,  leading  through  an 
immense  plain,  the  sides  of  which  were  bounded  by  moun- 
tains clad  in  verdure,  and  about  which  were  heavy  clouds 
rolling  before  us  that  promised  rain. 

This  road,  like  all  I have  thus  far  seen  in  Hayti,  was  a 
perfectly  good  one,  capable  of  being  travelled  in  good 
weather  by  vehicles  of  every  kind,  though,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  an  ox-cart  we  occasionally  met,  all  the  travelling 
was  on  mule  or  horse  back.  The  sides  of  the  road  were 
almost  universally  lined  by  the  hedges  of  logwood,  that  had 
oTOwn  to  such  an  extent  as  to  be  now  a valuable  article  of 

o 

export, while  the  coffee-tree  was,  as  usual,  seen  here  and  there 
gfrowinc:  almost  wild.  The  houses  were  of  the  most  ordinarv 

DO  ^ 


456 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


kind,  constructed  of  the  small  withes  or  planks  of  the 

narrow  woods  of  the 
country,  and  princi- 
pally thatched  roofs. 

It  being  market- 
day,  we  found  the 
road  filled  with  the 
country  people  on 
the  way  to  town, 
some  on  mule- 
back,  some  on  foot, 
but  not  a cart  of  any 
kind  did  we  meet. 
Most  of  those  we 
met  were  women, 
some  with  immense 
straw  hats  on, 
others  with  baskets 
on  their  heads,  and 
yet,  again,  some 
with  nothing  but 
a piccaninny  ” 
stowed  away  on 
their  backs  by  a 
cotton  cloth  wrap- 
ped about  the  waist. 

All  of  the  people, 
especially  the  wo- 

Countrywoman  and  “ Piccaninny."  men,  Were  cheerful, 

and  answered  with 

a smile  our  Bon  jour,  ma  chere,”  often  having  a reply  to 
offer.  In  fact,  throughout  my  visit  to  Hayti,  I was 
satisfied  that  the  majority  of  the  people  are  quiet,  docile, 
and  peaceful,  and  that  it  is  only  owing  to  their  chiefs  and 
party  leaders  that  the  men  are  so  brutish,  in  many  cases 
made  so  by  their  vagabond  life  as  soldiers. 


SUGAR-CANE  CULTIVATION. 


457 


Euined  walls,  houses,  gateways,  ay,  even  the  remains 
of  a bridge,  met  us  at  various  distances  out,  marking  the 
era  of  a past  civilisation,  which,  alas  ! seems  now  to  he 
utterly  extinct ; while  the  agriculture  that  had  once  made 
this  island  to  blossom  as  a garden,  with  its  superb  coffee 
places  and  sugar  estates,  has  now  sunk  into  nothing ; for 
the  traveller  beholds  naught  but  the  plantain  patch,  the 
wild  coffee-field,  or  the  small  field  of  sugar-cane,  whose 
product  is  principally  used  to  make  the  drink,  rum,  or  tafia, 
that  has  as  much  to  do,  as  anything  else,  after  the  miser- 
able Government,  with  the  degradation  of  the  people.  After 
some  hours  of  riding  we  came  upon  a tract  of  country  in 
which  we  see  sugar  estates  ” that  have  more  claim  to  the 
name,  for  the  houses  and  mills  are  larger  and  more 
numerous,  and  the  extent  of  cane  cultivated  greater; 
but  even  of  these  the  product  is  principally  rum  and 
tafia. 

We  found  we  had  plenty  of  streams  to  cross,  and  farther 
on  we  discovered  the  rain-storm  had  been  travelling  ahead 
of  us,  tne  roads  being  now  heavy  with  mud  and  water, 
and  as  the  soil  is  the  same  rich  clay  or  loam  that  prevails 
in  similar  places  in  Dominica,  we  were  not  sorry,  after  a 
fatiguing  ride  of  some  fifteen  miles,  to  find  ourselves  at  our 
destination,  just  as  night  overtook  us. 

My  letter  presented,  we  were  soon  made  welcome,  and 
bestowed  in  comfortable  quarters,  our  host  entertaining  us 
with  his  experiences  of  sugar-cane  growing;  and  as  this  is 
about  the  only  regularly  organised  place  in  the  island,  his 
remarks  will  give  a more  than  flattering  idea  of  labour  and 
agriculture  on  the  island. 

He  has  under  cultivation  a thousand  acres  of  cane,  which  is 
growing  all  the  year  round,  for  as  fast  as  cut  down  it  renews 
itself  from  the  same  stalk,  no  attention  being  paid  to  the 
weeding,  hoeing,  or  care  of  the  cane,  as  is  done  in  Cuba. 

His  labourers  are  all  blacks,  all  living  on  the  place  or 
in  the  vicinity,  and  his  contracts  are  made  with  about 


458 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


thirty-five  heads  of  families  to  do  the  necessary  work,  the 
average  wages  per  hand  being  about  twelve  cents  per 
day,  and  this  he  esteems  expensive  labour  for  the  quality 
furnished. 

He  has  little  or  no  strong  control  over  this  labour,  being 
compelled  to  humour  the  hands  in  great  degree  in  their 
holidays,  fandangos,  and  church  celebrations.  He  has 
steam-engines,  distilleries,  and  valuable  apparatus,  under 
charge  of  a coloured  engineer,  to  whom  he  pays  $12  per 
month,  the  whole  place  being  in  charge  of  an  administra- 
tor, who  receives  a salary  or  interest. 

Contrary  to  every  other  sugar-producing  country,  the 
mills  stop  every  day ; and  when  I ask  if  this  is  as  profitable 
as  running  the  mills  night  and  day  during  the  regular 
season,  the  reply  is,  If  I attempted  such  a thing  my  plan- 
tation would  be  burned  by  the  people.” 

Although  some  $50,000  have  been  invested  in  the  place, 
it  yields,  owing  to  the  poor  labour  and  the  irregular  system 
of  agriculture,  a rather  slim  return,  and  this  is  only  in  rum 
and  tafia,  little  or  no  sugar  being  produced.  Many  of  the 
neighbouring  plantations  that  have  no  mills  send  their  cane 
to  this  one  to  be  ground. 

A schoolhouse  has  been  established  on  the  place,  and 
maintained  at  private  expense,  it  being  open  to  all  the 
children  of  the  neighbourhood ; but  such  is  the  condition  of 
the  people,  and  the  lack  of  interest  they  take  in  bettering 
themselves,  that  not  over  fifteen  pupils  attend  the  school. 

In  the  morning  early  my  host  bade  me  good-bye,  as  he 
returned  to  Port-au-Prince,  while  I,  with  a guide,  under- 
took a day’s  journey  and  return,  to  the  celebrated  Lake  of 
Saumatre,  which  lies  equally  between  Dominica  and  Hayti, 
some  twenty  miles  from  my  stopping-place.  The  French 
name  this  lake  from  its  bitter- tasted  waters,  and  the 
Spaniards  bestow  upon  it  the  name  of  Azuey,  the  line  of 
demarcation  between  the  two  nationalities  cutting  it  in  two 
nearly  equal  parts  lengthwise ; and  the  waters  are  said  to 


JOURNEY  TO  LAKE  AZUEY. 


459 


have  the  curious  peculiarity  of  ebbing  and  flowing  like  the 
tides  of  the  sea. 

However,  bright  and  early  we  started  on  our  long  and 
tedious  journey,  my  guide  being  a coloured  man  from  Phil- 
adelphia, formerly  a servant  in  a family  there,  but  for  many 
years  domesticated  in  Hayti,  and  by  name  Jerry. 

Jerry  was  a bright,  smart  fellow,  fond  of  study,  and  intelli- 
gent in  the  affairs  and  condition  of  the  Haytians,  and  I was 
much  the  gainer  in  information  from  the  day  he  spent  with 
me ; and  as  he  not  only  speaks  English  but  creole  perfectly, 
he  was  of  great  service. 

Our  road  still  lay  through  a flat  and  uninteresting  country, 
the  soil  of  a sort  of  white  clay  in  many  parts,  in  others  of 
dark  rich  loam,  it  being  all  well  watered  and  wooded,  the 
agriculture  being  limited  to  the  cane,  plantain,  and  wild 
coflee.  The  country  was  only  sparsely  settled  by  negroes 
living  in  the  rudest  of  huts,  with  no  attempts  at  gardens  or 
improvements  of  any  kind. 

At  some  of  the  little  settlements  through  which  we  rode 
we  found  parties  of  the  men  gathered  flghting  cocks,  while 
at  others  the  sound  of  the  tum-tum  or  banjo  gave  notice  of 
a fandango  that  was  taking  place. 

In  another  place,  as  we  drew  near  the  frontier,  in  passing 
a large  house  with  a number  of  men  seated  or  . standing 
about  it,  we  were  halted  and  directed  to  dismount,  upon 
doing  which  we  found  it  was  the  headquarters  of  the  com- 
mandant, and  a guardhouse  near  the  frontier,  and  thus  I 
expected  to  have  had  some  trouble,  as  being  an  American, 
and  having  no  authority  to  travel,  I was  liable  to  be  in- 
terfered with. 

I don’t  know  how  Jerry  fixed  it,  but  I do  know  the  officer 
was  very  polite,  inviting  us  to  take  a little  tafia  with  him, 
and,  very  glad  not  to  be  stopped  on  my  journey,  I accepted 
his  apologies  with  great  pleasure. 

Another  hour’s  ride  brought  us,  through  woods  and 
bottom-lands,  to  our  first  view  of  the  lake,  but  both 


460 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


our  horses  and  ourselves  being  in  need  of  rest,  we  stopped 
at  a small  canuco  in  search  of  food  and  rest.  Luckily  for 
me,  we  had  taken  the  precaution  to  bring  a few  crackers 
with  us,  otherwise  we  should  have  fared  badly,  for  not  a 
thing  could  we  buy.  Eggs  they  had  none ; fish,  although 
the  lake  was  full,  they  did  not  catch ; oranges  they  did 
not  grow:  and  thus,  here  in  a land  that  ought  positively  to 
flow  with  milk  and  honey,  it  is  impossible  to  get  a mouth- 
ful of  any  wholesome  Christian  food. 

I asked  Jerry  how  these  people  lived,  both  here  and  on 


“ Uncles  and  Mammies.’' 


the  plantations,  and  he  assured  me  the  only  food  eaten 
by  them — men,  women,  and  children — was  ordinarily  a 
sweet  potato  or  plantain,  boiled  or  roasted,  with  a drink 
of  tafia-rum,  and  that  with  this  they  constantly  eat  the 
sugar-cane.  As  a very  great  luxury  they  might  very  rarely 
eat  a piece  of  salt  mackerel  or  codfish,  and  if  they 


AMERICAN  NEGROES. 


461 


happened  to  go  to  town,  a small  roll  of  bread  would  be 
purchased  as  a great  luxury. 

At  different  times  there  have  been  a number  of 
American  negroes  brought  out  and  located  on  the  island, 
but  in  most  cases  bad  faith  was  kept  with  them.  In  the 
case  of  those  who  came  out  with  Eedpath,  many  of  them 
were  deceived,  and  forced  to  work  two  days  in  the  week  for 
Government  in  order  to  contribute  to  the  money  for  their 
passage  out.  Some  of  these  old  people  quite  amused  me 
with  their  questions  about  ^^home,”  and  many  of  them 
reminded  me  of  the  uncles  ” and  “ mammies  ” of  the 
Southern  States. 

These  were  a very  different  class  from  those  I had  met  in 
Port-au-Prince,  some  of  whom,  quite  intelligent  people 
otherwise,  carried  away  by  their  position  as  successful  mer- 
chants, spoke  rather  contemptuously  of  their  less  favoured 
brethren. 

One  of  the  most  singular  things  I observed  was  that  here, 
on  this  side  the  frontier,  with  identically  the  same  soil  and 
climate  as  that  in  Dominica,  tobacco  was  not  raised,  and 
was  considered  a great  and  rare  luxury,  while  just  on  the 
other  side  the  Dominicans  raised  abundance.  So  also 
with  cattle;  while  there  there  was  abundance,  here  there 
was  none  to  be  seen,  except  maybe  a sheep  or  two,  or 
perhaps  a goat. 

While  our  horses  were  feeding  I endeavoured  to  get  a 
siesta  upon  a palm-leaf  mat  that  had  been  spread  upon 
the  ground  for  me.  Vain  hope  ! for  in  the  branches  of  the 
cocoanut-trees  in  whose  shade  I was  lying  were  some  bee- 
hives, their  occupants  buzzing  about ; over  and  under  me 
the  fleas  and  mosquitoes  fought  as  to  which  should  have  me  in 
possession,  while  an  occasional  ray  of  the  hot  sun  warmed 
me  up  into  a state  of  tropical  frenzy,  until,  desperate  with 
my  inflictions,  I gave  the  order  to  saddle  up,  and  Jerry  and 
I were  soon,  after  a rough  ride  of  a mile,  at  the  border  of 
the  beautiful  lake  of  Azuey,  where,  in  old  times,  sugar  places 


462 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


and  French  civilisation  made  this  a garden,  now,  alas  ! wild 
and  uncultivated,  even  unmarked  by  such  a sign  as  would 
show  what  had  been,  were  it  not  for  the  piles  of  ruined  walls 
and  stones  that  marked  a garden  wall. 

The  lake  is  surrounded  by  steep  hills,  except  on  the 
southern  side,  where  is  a small  plain,  filled  in  days  gone  by 
with  beautiful  sugar  places. 

The  water  is  clear  as  crystal,  and  looked  very  tempting 
to  us  after  our  long  journey  and  unsuccessful  attempt  at 
refreshments.  We  hitched  our  horses  in  the  woods,  and 
going  to  the  only  favourable  spot  on  the  shore,  found  a 
small  party  of  coloured  females  washing  clothes.  ' 

I remarked,  ‘‘  It  was  a nice  place  to  bathe.” 

“ Oh ! yes,”  they  said,  very  nice.” 

I suggested  that  we  had  some  idea  of  going  in. 

They  thought  we  would  like  it. 

I began  to  ^^peel,”  apologising  for  disturbing  them, 
which  I did  not  succeed  in  doing,  as  they  said,  Oh  ! don't 
mind  us” — and  Jerry  laughingly  exclaimed,  ‘‘Oh!  you 
needn’t  be  so  modest;  they  ain’t  afraid,  if  you  are  not.” 
Ah ! cosa  dl Haiti ! But  the  water  was  good  and  invigor- 
ating, combining  as  it  did  all  the  elements  of  hot  and 
cold  baths — for  there  were  springs  of  both  all  in  a very 
small  space.  It  may  be  for  this  reason  I could  not  dis- 
cover any  brackish  taste  in  the  water,  for  which  the  lake  is 
celebrated;  hut  at  the  end  of  the  lake,  where  there  are  some 
salt  mines,  this  peculiarity  may  exist  in  a more  marked 
degree. 

The  lake  is  a very  pretty  one,  looking  exactly  like  some 
of  our  Hudson  River  or  Lake  George  scenery.  It  is  about 
fifteen  miles  long  and  about  eight  miles  wide  in  the  widest 
part,  being  capable  of  steamboat  navigation,  it  is  said. 

After  we  came  out  we  were  pleasantly  informed  there 
were  crocodiles  there,  too,  and  I have  to  thank  them  for 
the  respect  they  manifested  to  the  person  of  the  first 
American  who  had  ever  bathed  there. 


DEPARTURE. 


463 


Heavy  clouds  warned  us  of  an  approaching  storm,  which 
finally  broke  upon  the  other  side  of  the  lake,  and  so  we 
were  soon  in  the  saddle,  hoping  to  outride  the  rain,  which 
we  succeeded  in  doing  for  an  hour  or  two. 

But  finally  it  came  upon  us — a pouring,  heavy  rain, 
that  came  straight  down,  leaving  no  hope  of  keeping  dry 
even  with  umbrella  and  poncho. 

But  why  describe  that  long  and  weary  ride  home — the 
mud  and  mire,  the  water  above  and  below,  the  swollen 
streams,  the  tired  horses  and  riders,  and  the  long,  weary 
hours  before  we  reached  our  night^s  destination,  or  the 
long  and  uninteresting  journey  over  the  same  road  next 
morning  to  Port-au-Prince  ? Suffice  it  to  say  that,  with 
that  last  journey  and  the  advent  of  the  rainy  season,  I 
concluded  that,  having  visited  the  most  favoured  parts,  I 
had  seen  enough  of  the  interior  of  Hayti,  and  glad  I was 
to  get  hack  to  comfortable  quarters  and  civilised  food  in 
Port-au-Prince. 

Hext  day,  going  on  hoard  the  steamer  that  was  to 
return  me  to  the  States,  I found  her,  with  a full  cargo  of 
coffee  and  logwood,  ready  to  sail,  a number  of  passengers 
having  also  engaged  passage  in  her  to  New  York. 

A lively  time  we  had  getting  ofP,  for  among  the  passen- 
gers were  the  American  Consul  and  his  wife,  who,  after  a 
residence  of  many  years,  were  taking  their  departure  for 
good,  their  leave-taking  of  the  town  and  its  people  being 
marked  by  the  assembling  on  the  wharf  and  steamer  of  all 
the  principal  people,  black,  white,  and  coloured. 

Then  there  was  a young  belle,  too,  whose  friends,  with 
the  sympathy  ” peculiar  to  these  people,  gathered  to 
rake  a last  farewell ; and  as  most  of  those  were  handsome 
young  people  of  the  feminine  order,  there  were  some  of 
us  quite  sorry  not  to  have  such  charming  friends  to  whom 
to  say  good-bye  in  Haytian  fashion  (e.g.,  kissing  on  both 
cheeks). 

My  farewell  was  of  a different  order,  however ; for  as  I 


464 


SANTO  DOMINGO. 


grasped  the*  hand  of  a stalwart  merchant,  the  last  to  go 

over  the  side,  he  said,  Remember  me  to  H ; tell  him 

Hayti  hasn’t  changed  for  the  better ; that,  bad  as  things 
were  when  he  was  here  twenty  years  ago,  they  are  to-day 
ten  times  worse.”  Alas  ! poor  Hayti ! 

But  now  we  are  clear  of  the  deck,  tears  are  shed, 
handkerchiefs  waved,  and  at  last  we  are  steaming  over  the 
beautiful  bay  to  Gonaives,  our  last  place  to  visit  in  Hayti. 
With  placid  sea  and  soft  skies  I find  it  more  agreeable  to 
swing  my  hammock  on  deck  for  the  night  than  to  go  below 
in  the  cabin.  Many  of  the  passengers  think  as  I do, 
and  stretch  themselves  on  deck,  being  protected  from 
night  dews  by  the  awning  ; therefore  we  are  all  ready, 
when  day  breaks,  to  get  the  first  glimpse  of  the  little 
town  of  Gonaives,  which,  though  situated  in  a beautiful 
bay,  offers  nothing  very  attractive  in  its  landscape  sur- 
roundings. 

The  anchor  dropped,  a party  of  us  were  soon  ashore  in 
the  fresh  early  morning,  being  received  at  the  landing  by  a 
German  merchant,  who  acts  as  Consul  for  the  United 
States. 

Then  we  saunter  through  the  great,  wide,  hot  streets  of 
the  town,  that  looks  as  if  it  were  originally  intended  to  be 
a place  ten  times  its  size.  We  went  into  the  large  church 
filled  with'  its  dusky  devotees  ; and  while  my  devout  com- 
panion says  her  morning  prayers,  I occupy  myself  in 
studying  out  the  problem  of  the  church  architecture  and 
decoration,  and  the  authorship  of  some  of  the  paintings 
upon  the  walls.  Then  a stroll  through  the  market-place, 
with  its  country  people  dealing  in  small  supplies ; through 
the  Place,”  with  its  one  tomb  or  monument  to  a defunct 
Colonel  Somebodj^,  and  we  have  seen  the  entire  town  of 
Gonaives,  and  are  ready  to  enjoy  the  hospitalities  of  the 
tasteful  and  comfortable  mansion  of  the  Consul,  presiding 
over  which  is  his  charming  wife. 

Yet  Gonaives  is  a place  of  some  importance  in  the 


GONAIVES. 


465 


commercial  world,  for  here  are  shipped  large  quantities  of 
the  coffee  of  the  island,  of  which  that  produced  about 
Gonaives  is  said  to  be  the  very  best.  Cotton,  too,  is 
produced,  and  used  to  he  shipped  in  large  quantities,  while, 
in  the  palmy  days  of  Hayti,  when  there  was  an  agricultural  ' 
system,  indigo  in  large  quantities  was  an  important 
product. 

The  town  is  situated  on  a flat,  level  plain,  its  name  being 
the  original  Indian  name,  though  the  place  was  not  really 
settled  until  about  1738. 

The  place  is  historic,  as  having  been  the  port  from  which 
Toussaint  L’Ouverture  embarked  in  the  Her  os  for  France, 
never,  more  to  be  actively  heard  of  in  the  annals  of  the 
country ; but  here  also  was  proclaimed  the  solemn  Declara- 
tion of  Independence  that  made  the  Haytians  freemen  ; 
otherwise  it  is  one  of  the  most  uninteresting  places  I have 
seen. 

Again  we  are  on  board  the  ship,  steering  along  the  coast, 
which  presents  the  same  characteristics  of  rocky  shore, 
verdure-clad  hills,  or  curious  tableland,  forms  that  have 
entitled  this  part  of  the  coast  to  the  name  of  Platform ; 
and  as  the  shades  of  night  are  closing  in,  we  see  behind  us 
the  last  point,  as  we  head  directly  north,  of  the  Mole  St 
Nicolas ; whereupon,  with  visions  of  the  balmy  days  of  a 
northern  spring  before  us,  we  join  heartily  in  the  chorus 
ascending  to  those  tropic  skies,  of — 

**  A wet  sheet  and  a flowing  sea, 

And  a health  to  the  Homeward  Bound  ! ” 


CHAPTER  XXIY. 


APPENDATORY. 


“ Methinks  I see  my  country  rise, 

Her  regal  emblem  now  no  longer  a bird  of  prey, 
But  spreading  out  her  ample  wing, 

A broad  impartial  covering. 

The  weaker  sheltered  by  the  stronger.” 


General  View  of  St  Domingo — SoiJie  Reflections  on  its  Future — 
Views  of  President  Grant — Climate — Insects — Seasons — Lands 
— Emigrants — The  Population  and  its  Character — Finances — 
Concessions  and  Grants — Hints  to  Emigrants  or  Travellers — 
Dominican  Manifestoes — General  Statistics — Treaty  for  Fixing 
the  Boundaries — Notes  on  the  Mineral  Products  of  the  Island. 


TF  the  reader  has  accompanied  me  thus  far,  he  will  now 
have  a good  idea  of  the  past  history  of  St  Domingo, 
as  also  its  present  condition. 

If,  in  some  of  my  descriptions  of  the  people,  I may  have 
appeared  more  candid  than  perhaps  good  taste  or  cour- 
tesy would  require,  it  has  simply  been  that  I might  place 
distinctly  before  the  world  the  actual  condition  to-day  of 
this  island  and  its  people,  and  this  with  the  sole  view  of 
benefiting  them. 

Xo  one  could  be  more  astonished  than  was  the  author 
when,  having  carefully  followed  all  the  discussions  in  the 


APPENDATORY. 


467 


United  States  upon  this  subject,  and  having  his  mind  filled 
with  the  denunciations  of  this  island  and  its  people  (by 
political  leaders  for  polhical  purposes),  he  landed  upon  the 
shores  of  St  Domingo,  where,  instead  of  finding  war  and 
bloodshed,  troops  and  cannon,  and  a people  controlled  by 
mere  force,  he  found  instead  everywhere  the  utmost  peace 
and  quietness. 

Greater  still  was  his  astonishment  when,  reaching  St 
Domingo  city,  the  headquarters  of  the  tyrant,  the  usurper, 
Baez,  he  found  that  person  in  peaceful  occupation  of  the 
Presidential  chair,  or  walking  about  like  any  other  citizen, 
unattended  or  supported  by  the  armed  myrmidons  that  had 
been  described  as  alone  keeping  him  in  place. 

In  order  not  to  fatigue  the  reader,  I have  touched  in  my 
journeying  very  lightly  on  the  sentiment  of  annexation  to 
the  United  States  among  the  people  of  St  Domingo;  but 
here  I deem  it  a fitting  place  to  testify  to  the  almost 
universal  wish  of  the  people,  high  and  low,  to  come  into  the 
American  Union  ; and  this  testimony  may  be  esteemed  of 
greater  weight  when  I say,  that  it  was  elicited,  not  only 
from  the  people  in  many  a quiet  talk,  in  dwellings  and* 
stores,  in  towns  and  villages,  away  from  any  official  presence 
or  infiuence,  but  also  in  the  wilds  and  solitudes,  where  I 
heard  but  one  cry,  Give  us  peace  and  safety,  and  good 
roads.” 

In  the  contest  of  politics  against  St  Domingo  annexa- 
tion, some  of  our  wisest  and  best  men  seem  to  have  been 
led  astray  either  by  false  information  or  through  ignorance 
of  the  actual  condition  of  affairs  in  that  island,  and  some 
phases  of  this  contest  would  appear  ludicrous  were  not  the 
results  so  serious. 

Here,  for  instance,  while  a champion  is  wielding  the 
weapon  of  defence  in  favour  of  the  revolutionist  Cabral, 
the  latter  comes  forth  and  refuses  to  be  defended  in  the 
following  official  document,”  of  which  such  fellows  always 
seem  to  have  a large  supply,  thus  : — 

35 


468 


APPENDATORY. 


GOD,  COUNTRY.  LIBERTY. 

Jose  ^[aria  Cabral,  General  of  Division  of  the  National  Armies^ 
and  Supej'ior  Chief  of  the  Revolutionary  Movement,  A;c. 

To  the  Honourable  President  of  the  Senate  of  the  United  States 

of  America. 

Honourable  President — The  honourable  Charles  Sumner  of 
Massachusetts,  in  his  discourse  upon  the  proposed  annexation  of  the 
Island  of  St  Domingo,  pronounced  in  the  Senate  the  21st  December 
1870,  says,  with  reference  to  my  policy,  “They  have  assured  me 
that  his  policy  (Cabral’s)  is  to  unite  the  two  Governments  of  Hayti 
and  Dominica,  as  they  were  before  the  revolution  and  war  that 
lasted  from  1846  to  1848('?),  terminating  with  the  insecure  indepen- 
dence of  the  Dominican  part  of  the  island.” 

The  policy  that  the  Senator  Sumner  attributes  to  me  being  that 
which  neither  my  party  nor  1 follow,  I consider  it  my  duty  to 
protest,  as  I here  do,  against  this  part  of  the  above  discourse  j and 
in  doing  this,  I believe  I have  well  interpreted  the  wishes  of  my 
associates,  'and  fulfilled  one  of  the  sacred  duties  that  have  been  im- 
posed upon  me  as  chief  of  a party.  I have  the  honour,  &c. 

Jose  Maria  Cabral. 

Neyba,  Feh'uary  18,  1871. 

But  this  distinguished  champion  was  not  allowed  to 
escape  the  wrath  of  the  opponents  of  Cabral  either ; for  the 
Boletin  Official  of  St  Domingo  says,  Mr  Sumner,  the 
orator  of  the  Senate  at  Washington,  whose  lips  should 
never  be  opened  except  to  utter  political  or  social  oracles 
in  accord  with  his  great  reputation, . . . wounded  in  his  self- 
respect,  &c.,  runs  as  the  wounded  stag,  and  in  his  flight 
fastens  deeper  and  deeper  the  dart  that  wounds  him.  The 
Commission  will  see  that  the  lamentations  of  Mr  Sumner 
are  nothing  but  the  ignorance  of  our  history,  and  a means 
of  discrediting  the  high  and  wise  polic}"  and  the  aspiration 
of  an  immense  majority.” 

But  having  made  ourselves  acquainted  wdth  the  past  and 
present  of  this  beautiful  land,  the  question  naturally  arises, 
what  will  be  its  future  ? 

Not  only  are  the  Dominicans  and  the  Haytians  inter- 


APPENDATORY. 


469 


ested  in  this  question,  but  so  is  all  the  world,  and  especially 
the  American  people.  The  philanthropist,  the  statesman, 
the  merchant,  and  the  manufacturer,  are  all  equally  con- 
cerned in  an  island  which,  under  certain  circumstances,  will 
conduce  to  advance  the  cause  of  civilisation  and  humanitv, 
the  extension  of  trade  and  the  production  of  necessary  articles. 

Though,  as  an  American,  I should  be  glad  to  see  our 
institutions  carried  into  that  island,  and  our  great  privilege 
of  self-government  bestowed  upon  the  people  of  the  tropics, . 
yet  I should  be  equally  glad,  for  the  sake  of  the  Dominicans 
and  the  Haytians,  to  see  their  island  allied  to  some  pro- 
gressive Government ; and  Germany  has  already  a strong 
footing  on  the  island  in  the  hold  her  merchants  have 
acquired  on  its  trade  and  commerce. 

That  any  Government  would  profit  by  this  connection 
there  is  not  the  slighest  reason  to  doubt;  but  to  the  United 
States,  from  their  position,  'would  accrue  advantages  and 
benefits  that  could  come  to  no  other  nation ; and  these  were 
perhaps  never  more  clearly  and  soundly  expressed  by  any 
statesman  than  by  General  Grant  in  his  annual  message 
when  recommending  the  measure  to  national  legislation. 
He  said: — 

“ During  the  last  session  of  Congress  a treaty  for  annexation  of 
the  repubhc  of  St  Domingo  to  the  United  States  failed  to  receive 
the  requisite  two-thirds  vote  of  the  Senate.  I was  thoroughly  con- 
vinced then  that  the  best  interests  of  this  country,  commercially  and 
materially,  demanded  its  ratification. 

“ Time  has  only  confirmed  me  in  this  view.  I now  firmly  believe 
that  the  moment  it  is  known  that  the  United  States  have  entirely 
abandoned  the  project  of, accepting  as  a part  of  its  territory  the 
Island  of  St  Domingo,  a free  port  will  be  negotiated  for  by  European 
nations. 

“ In  the  Bay  of  Samana  a large  commercial  city  will  spring  up,  to 
which  we  will  be  tributary  without  receiving  corresponding  benefits, 
and  then  will  be  seen  the  folly  of  our  rejecting  so  great  a prize.  The 
Government  of  St  Domingo  has  voluntarily  sought  this  annexation. 
It  is  a weak  power,  numbering  probably  less  than  one  hundred  and 
twenty  thousand  souls,  and  yet  possessing  one  of  the  richest  terri- 
tories under  the  sun,  capable  of  supporting  a population  of  ten 


470 


APPENDATORY. 


\ 

millions  of  people  in  luxury.  The  people  of  St  Domingo  are  not 
capable  of  maintaining  themselves  in  their  present  condition,  and 
must  look  for  outside  support.  They  crave  the  protection  of  our 
free  institutions  and  our  laws,  our  progress  and  civilisation.  Shall 
we  refuse  them?  The  acquisition  of  St  Domingo  is  desirable 
because  of  its  geographical  position.  It  commands  the  entrance  to 
the  Caribbean  Sea  and  the  Isthmus  transit  of  commerce;  it  possesses 
the  richest  soil,  best  and  most  capacious  harbours,  most  salubrious 
climate,  and  the  most  valuable  products  of  the  forest,  mine,  and  soil 
of  any  of  the  West  India  Islands.  Its  possession  by  us  will  in  a 
few  years  build  up  a coastwise  commerce  of  immense  magnitude, 
which  will  go  far  toward  restoring  to  us  our  lost  merchant  marine. 
It  will  give  to  us  those  articles  which  we  consume  so  largely  and  do 
not  produce,  thus  equalising  our  exports  and  imports.  In  case  of 
foreign  war  it  will  give  us  command  of  all  the  islands  referred  to, 
and  thus  prevent  an  enemy  from  ever  again  possessing  himself  of 
rendezvous  upon  our  very  coast.  At  present  our  coast  trade  between 
the  States  bordering  on  the  Atlantic  and  those  bordering  on  the 
Gulf  of  Mexico  is  cut  in  two  by  the  Bahamas  and  Antilles  twice. 
We  must,  as  it  were,  pass  through  foreign  countries  to  get  by  sea 
from  Georgia  to  the  w^est  coast  of  Florida.  St  Domingo,  with  a 
stable  Government,  under  which  her  immense  resources  can  be 
developed,  will  give  remunerative  wages  to  tens  of  thousands  of 
labourers,  not  now  upon  the  island.  This  labour  will  take  advan- 
tage of  every  available  means  of  transportation  to  abandon  the 
adjacent  islands  and  seek  the  blessings  of  freedom  and  its  sequence, 
each  inhabitant  receiving  the  reward  of  his  own  labour.  Porto 
Rico  and  Cuba  will  have  to  abolish  slavery  as  a measure  of  self- 
preservation  to  retain  their  labourers.  St  Domingo  will  become  a 
large  consumer  of  the  products  of  Northern  farms  and  manufactories. 
The  cheap  rate  at  which  her  citizens  can  be  furnished  with  food, 
tools,  and  machinery  will  make  it  necessary  that  contiguous  islands 
should  have  the  same  advantages  in  order  to  compete  in  the  produc- 
tion of  sugar,  coffee,  and  tobacco,  tropical  fruits,  &c. 

‘‘  This  will  open  to  us  a still  wider  market  for  our  products.  The 
production  of  our  own  supply  of  these  articles  will  cut  off  more  than 
one  hundred  millions  of  our  annual  imports,  besides,  largely  increas- 
ing our  exports. 

“ The  acquisition  of  St  Domingo  is  an  adherence  to  the  Monro 
doctrine ; it  is  a measure  of  national  protection ; it  is  asserting  our 
just  claim  to  a controlling  influence  over  the  great  commercial  traffic 
soon  to  flow  from  west  to  east  by  w'ay  of  the  Isthmus  of  Darien  ; it 
is  to  build  up  our  merchant  marine  ; it  is  to  furnish  new  markets 
for  the  products  of  our  farms,  shops,  and  manufactories ; it  is  to 


4 


APPENDATORY. 


471 


make  slavery  insupportable  in  Cuba  and  Porto  Rico  at  once,  and 
ultimately  so  in  Brazil ; it  is  to  settle  the  unhappy  condition  of 
Cuba,  and  end  an  exterminating  conflict;  it  is  to  furnish  our  citizens 
with  the  necessaries  of  everyday  life  at  cheaper  rates  than  ever 
before ; and  it  is,  in  fine,  a rapid  stride  toward  that  greatness  which 
the  intelligence,  industry,  and  enterprise  of  the  citizens  of  the 
United  States  entitle  this  country  to  assume  among  nations.  So 
convinced  am  I of  the  advantages  to  flow  from  the  acquisition  of  St 
Domingo,  and  of  the  great  disadvantages — I might  almost  say 
calamities — to  flow  from  non-acquisition,  that  I believe  the  subject 
has  only  to  be  investigated  to  be  approved.” 

And  it  can  be  said  that  if  this  doctrine  of  Monro  is  to 
be  maintained  with  any  reason  by  the  United  States,  it  is 
hardly  fair  to  the  Dominicans  to  say  to  them,  You  shall 
not  come  into  our  Union,  but  neither  will  we  allow  you  to 
ally  yourself  with  any  one  else.”  Other  nationalities  might 
naturally  have  something  to  say  in  this  direction ; for,  as 
said  the  London  Times  (Nov.  29,  1869),  on  receipt  of  the 
news  of  an  expedition  starting  from  the  United  States  to 
take  possession  of  Samana,  which  was  looked  upon  by  some 
as  a stepping-stone  to  Hayti,  and  from  Hayti  to  Cuba: — 
The  commercial  life  that  would  be  imparted  by  these  move- 
ments can  hardly  be  over-estimated;  and  hence,  supposing 
them  to  be  carried  out  with  fairness  to  all  parties  concerned, 
they  may  be  contemplated  as  full  of  promise  in  favour  of 
an  extension  of  British  trade.” 

If  it  be  the  mission  of  England  to  colonise  and  settle 
(see  parliamentary  debates  on  Fiji  annexation)  the  desolate 
spots  of  the  world,  it  may  be  claimed  for  the  United 
States  that  it  is  hers  to  encourage  all  aspirants  for  civil 
liberty  in  any  part  of  the  New  World,  and  either  by  her 
protection  or  incorporation  lend  a helping  hand  to  human- 
ising all  young  peoples  irrespective  of  race  or  colour. 

One  of  the  most  curious  features  about  St  Domingo  is, 
that  although  it  is  the  fashion  to-day  to  belie  and  be-little 
it,  yet  in  all  the  authorities,  from  the  time  of  its  discovery 
to  the  present  time,  no  matter  of  what  nationality,  there  is 


472 


APPENDATORY. 


hardly  a writer  who  does  not  speak  in  the  most  glowing 
terms  of  this  island,  its  climate,  its  scenery,  productions, 
and  the  general  natural  intelligence  of  its  people,  and  their 
gentleness  and  kindness  of  disposition  under  favourable 
circumstances.  I am  glad  to  bear  testimony  to  the  fact, 
from  personal  observation,  that  the  masses  of  the  people  of 
St  Domingo  will  compare  favourably  with  those  of  Great 
Britain,  Belgium,  or  France. 

Canon  Kingsley  has  been  by  some  deemed  romantic 
because,  familiar  as  he  is  with  the  lower  classes  of  his  own 
country,  and  with  the  masses  particularly  of  the  London 
population,  who  live,  in  many  cases,  utterly  ignorant  of 
pure  air,  light,  and  warmth,  he  should  wish  that  the  beau- 
fiful  but  unsettled  solitudes  of  the  New  World  might  be 
peopled  by  some  of  their  number. 

But  the  writer  so  far  agrees  with  him  that  he  wishes,  in 
these  days  of  international  meetings,  that  some  grand  in- 
ternational organisation  could  be  formed  to  transport  those 
who  have  not  the  means  themselves,  to  those  parts  of  the 
western  continent  where  a new  field  of  health,  labour,  and 
riches  would  be  open  to  the  teeming  populations  of  the 
old  world,  and  no  more  favourable  or  desirable  spot  does 
he  know  than  the  beautiful  Island  of  St  Domingo. 

While  I do  not  wish  to  inflict  upon  the  reader  a mass 
of  dry  statistics,  which  he  would  probably  never  read,  it  is 
due  to  the  full  understanding  of  our  subject  that  I give 
some  practical  information  in  reference  to  matters  that 
have  been  much  misunderstood,  most  of  which  I extract 
from  the  reports  of  the  United  States  Commissioners, 
verified  as  it  has  been  by  my  own  personal  experience  and 
consultation  of  every  available  authority. 

And,  firstly,  in  regard  to  climate  and  health.  The  testi- 
mony of  witnesses,  the  observation  of  the  Commissioners,  and 
the  reports  of  special  investigations,  show  that  it  is  generally 
a healthy  country.  Emigrants  easily  become  accustomed  to 
the  climate.  On  the  coast,  where  hot  weather  prevails,  care 


APPEND  A TORY. 


473 


must  be  taken.  Individuals  from  the  Northern  States, 
now  residing  on  the  coast,  and  engaged  in  cultivating  plan- 
tations there,  say  they  can  labour  with  their  own  hands, 
and  that  white  men  may  work  under  certain  regulations  as 
safely  as  in  the  United  States.  As  a fair  illustration  of 
this,  it  may  be  stated  that  the  greater  numbers  of  those 
persons  engaged  in  commerce  are  foreigners,  from  France, 
from  England,  from  Spain,  but  more  particularly  from 
Germany,  all  of  whom,  with  perhaps  the  exception  of  those 
residing  in  Port-au-Prince  and  Cape  Haytian,  enjoy  as 
good  health  as  they  did  in  their  own  countries. 

The  mountain  slopes  and  valleys,  overlooked  or  sur- 
rounded by  lofty  ridges,  are  comparatively  cool,  and  are 
favourable  to  Northern  constitutions.  Within  a few  hours’ 
ride  inland  farms  were  visited,  where  the  temperature, 
pooled  by  the  neighbouring  peaks,  was  bracing ; and  in  the 
same  fields  could  be  seen  growing  cabbage  and  bananas, 
potatoes  and  plantains,  Indian-corn  and  sugar-cane,  &c. 
Efiective  labour  can  be  prosecuted  by  white  men  in  such 
regions,  and  general  good  health  maintained.  The  pro- 
cess of  acclimation  to  strangers  coming  in  was  so  slight  as 
to  be  scarcely  an  inconvenience.  It  may  be  said  generally 
that  this  process  presents  no  greater  obstacle  to  emigration 
than  does  the  similar  process  in  several  of  our  new 
States. 

The  physical  configuration  of  the  island  is  such  that  a 
decided  difference  exists  between  its  eastern  and  western 
ends  in  regard  to  health.  In  the  eastern  or  windward 
portion  of  the  island,  occupied  by  the  Dominican  republic, 
the  principal  mountain  chains  run  in  lines  approaching  an 
east  and  west  direction.  The  valleys  between  them  are 
therefore  swept  during  the  greater  portion  of  the  year 
by  the  trade  winds,  which  in  that  latitude  come  from 
directions  east  and  north-east.  These  valleys  are  thus  con- 
stantly supplied  with  pure  air  from  the  sea,  and  malarious 
influences  are  rapidly  dissipated. 


474 


APPENDATORY, 


On  the  other  hand,  the  west  end  of  the  island,  occupied 
by  Hayti,  is  walled  in  on  its  eastern  or  leeward  side  by 
chains  of  high  mountains  running  in  irregular  curves 
from  north  to  south.  It  would  appear  that  these  act  to 
some  extent  as  barriers  to  the  trade  winds  ; and  to  this  fact, 
coupled  with  the  influence  of  neighbouring  marshes  and 
mangrove  swamps,  it  is  due  in  a great  measure  that  Port- 
au-Prince  and  the  country  about  it  have  so  bad  a reputa- 
tion in  regard  to  health. 

As  to  the  large  towns,  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  the 
want  at  present  of  any  practical  application  of  sanitary 
knowledge  causes  them  to  rank  far  lower  in  regard  to 
health  than  they  otherwise  would.  Among  the  leading 
historical  events  connected  with  Hayti  and  St  Domingo 
which  have  stamped  themselves  upon  the  public  mind 
are  the  dreadful  epidemics,  principally  yellow  fever, 
which  ravaged  the  English,  the  French,  and  the  Spanish 
armies  successively  landed  upon  the  coast. 

The  victims  were  Europeans,  and  their  sad  fate  inter- 
ested millions,  so  that  in  the  public  mind  St  Domingo 
and  yellow  fever  became  almost  synonymous.  It  is  a 
matter  of  history  that  the  most  fatal  expedition — that  ot 
the  French  at  the  beginning  of  this  century — conducted 
its  operations  mainly  in  the  Haytian  part  of  the  island. 

But  this  may  be  accounted  for  by  the  manner  in  which 
these  troops  were  used.  Where  actively  employed,  they 
committed  many  indiscretions,  and  were  devoid  of  many  of 
the  necessary  comforts  to  which  even  the  soldier  is  accus- 
tomed ; especially  was  their  clothing  utterly  unfitted  for 
the  climate  in  which  they  served. 

Add  to  this,  operations  were  carried  on  without  regard 
to  the  peculiarities  of  a climate  which  seems  to  demand 
that  every  one  shall  avoid  for  a few  hours  all  labour  under 
a tropic  mid-day  sun. 

But  the  greatest  loss  of  the  French  was  experienced 
while  cooped  up  in  the  towns,  or  on  shipboard,  while  being 


APPENDATORY. 


475 


besieged  by  tbe  negroes,  and,  as  we  have  shown  in  the 
early  chapters,  in  many  cases  forced  to  resort  to  dog-meat 
for  food. 

But  probably  their  greatest  losses  were  occasioned  by  the 
harassing  nature  of  their  conflicts  with  the  negroes,  who, 
laying  aside  all  established  tactical  rules  of  organisation 
and  manoeuvre,  simply  became  a vast  body  of  skirmishers, 
retiring  when  attacked  to  their  woods  and  hills,  and  then 
harassing,  by  ambushed  and  detached  fire,  old  troops  who 
had  not  yet  learned  the  great  art  of  modern  warfare,  of  in- 
dependently availing  themselves  of  advantages  offered  for 
shelter  by  the  nature  of  the  ground. 

The  English  expedition  to  St  Domingo,  which  is  some- 
times referred  to,  so  far  as  can  be  ascertained,  was  not 
attended  by  any  greater  loss  of  life  from  disease  than  might 
have  been  expected  with  the  imperfect  sanitary  regulations  of 
military  forces  which  have  existed  down  to  a recent  period. 

One  of  the  medical  oflacers  attached  te  the  English  army 
remarks  upon  the  cause  of  the  great  sickness  of  the  troops 
in  saying,  They  were  overworked,  dispirited,  and  shut 
up  in  towns  where  they  were  deprived  of  every  comfort, 
and  thus  gave  way.  They  pursued  a diet  opposite  to 
that  of  the  French ; eating  meat  freely,  and  drinking 
ardent  spirits ; and  being  of  plethoric  habit,  were  quickly 
susceptible  to  the  heat.  The  French,  on  the  contrary, 
prepared  themselves  by  gentle  purges,  ate  little  meat,  and 
drank  little  wine,  and  that  of  the  lightest  kind,  being 
particular  to  get  a tepid  bath  each  day.” 

Yet  another  writer  says,  We  have  seen  in  St  Domingo 
and  Guadaloupe  bodies  of  white  troops,  always  active  and 
in  movement,  execute  on  the  largest  scale  field  fortifications, 
and  conclude  their  tasks  with  as  much  celerity  as  though 
they  had  lived  all  their  life  in  Europe.  And  they  resisted 
the  attacks  of  tropical  disease  much  better  than  those  of 
the  garrison  who  lived  in  idleness.” 

‘‘The  losses  of  the  Spanish  army  from  illness  were  largely 


476 


APPEND  ATORY. 


due  to  the  utter  lack  of  sanitary  care  ; and  the  Commis- 
sioners are  satisfied  that  those  losses  have  been  enormously 
exaggerated.  The  Commissioners  have  given  special 
attention  to  the  matter  of  health;  and  besides  getting 
information  from  other  quarters,  they  have  charged  two 
nmdical  gentlemen  to  report  specially  upon  it.  Their  con- 
clusion is  this : 

The  popular  idea  that  the  Dominican  territory  is  parti- 
cularly unhealthy,  and  that  persons  visiting  it  are  periodi- 
cally liable  to  yellow  fever,  is  entirely  erroneous.  The 
average  general  health  and  longevity  is  quite  equal  to, 
and  probably  greater  than,  that  of  the  United  States,  as  a 
whole.  Immigrants  are  not  liable  to  any  more  disturbance 
of  general  health  in  the  process  of  acclimation,  than  ure 
persons  who  pass  from  the  old  to  the  new  States  of  the 
United  States ; and,  saving  upon  the  sea-coast,  the  process 
is  so  gentle  as  to  escape  notice.  Taking  the  year  through,  as 
much  agricultiu’al  work  can  be  done  without  affecting  health 
as  can  be  done  in  our  middle  and  western  States,  and  with 
greater  results.  Persons  in  all  circumstances  can  here 
enjoy,  by  selecting  their  locality,  a delicious  climate  and 
abundance  of  fruit,  with  far  less  liability  to  diseases  of 
the  lungs,  to  scarlet  fever,  and  other  fearful  epidemics, 
and  without  an}^  liability  to  yellow  fever.” 

The  yellow  fever  in  St  Domingo,  of  which  it  is  not  a 
native,  is  different  from  that  experienced  in  Philadelphia, 
as  described  by  Dr  Push,  and  is  not  contagious ; even  in 
Cuba  it  is  much  overrated,  for  even  there  it  is  confined  to 
localities  always  on  the  coast. 

The  moment  one  retires  to  the  interior  or  the  hills,  there 
is  no  danger.  So  evident,  is  this,  that  tjie  little  village  of 
Guanabacoa,  hardly  two  miles  from  Havana,  has  had  one 
battalion  of  newly-arrived  troops  perfectly  safe  during  the 
fever  season,  while  another,  stationed  in  Havana,  lost  half 
its  men. 

As  regards  St  Domingo,  my  own  experience,  confirmed 


APPENDATOKY. 


477 


by  that  of  almost  every  member  of  the  Commission/ was 
that  we  could  find  no  trace  that  yellow  fever  had  ever  pre- 
vailed in  any  of  this  part  of  the  island  as  an  epidemic. 

A fellow-passenger,  previously  alluded  to,  and  who,  for 
over  twenty  years,  had  been  a resident  medical  man  at 
Santiago,  assured  me  that,  though  he  had  been  in  every 
quarter  of  the  globe,  he  had  never  met  with  a climate  so 
undoubtedly  salubrious  as  that  of  St  Domingo ; and 
while  not  denying  that  yellow  fever  was  as  likely  to 
visit  the  coast-line  as  an  epidemic  as  any  of  the  other  West 
Indies,  said  it  had  never  yet  done  so,  except  in  the  case  of 
accumulated  numbers  of  foreign  troops. 

His  views  of  sanitary  measures  for  new-comers,  being 
also  those  found  in  many  reliable  authorities,  it  may 
be  said  that,  if  attended  to,  they  would  undoubtedly  be 
accompanied  with  good  results.  These  are  simply  a gentle 
purge  before  landing,  obviated  in  the  case  of  those  who 
have  been  sea-sick.  A sparing  use  of  fruit  on  first  arrival. 
Ho  matter  what  the  nature  of  the  outside  clothing,  which 
may  be  a light  tweed  or  linen,  a flannel  shirt  should  in- 
variably be  worn  next  the  skin.  A very  moderate  use  of 
wines,  and  especially  ardent  spirits;  the  free  use  of  water, 
and  ice  unlimited,  if  to  be  had ; a daily  bath,  cold  in  the 
morning,  and  tepid  in  the  evening,  is  of  great  service  to 
the  -health. 

Tafia,  a superior  quality  of  the  native  rum,  if  made  into 
a punch  with  lemon  and  ice,  is  cooling  to  the  blood. 

If  to  these  are  added  exercise  or  labour,  avoiding  mid-day 
sun,  and  also  great  fatigue,  general  health  would  be  as 
good  here  as  in  any  part  of  the  world  to  those  residing  on 
the  coast,  while  in  the  interior  there  is  nothing  to  appre- 
hend on  the  score  of  health. 

Two  seasons  are  distinguished  in  the  island — winter  and 
summer.  From  the  month  of  May  to  October,  the  rains 
are  abundant,  but  diminishing  in  their  quantity  towards 
the  latter  month.  From  February  to  April,  usually  the 


478 


APPENDATORY. 


season  is  known  as  the  dry.  In  May  and  June  the  rains 
are  not  only  heavy,  but  accompanied  with  thunder  and 
lightning.  The  following  is  from  M.  St  Mery ; — 

“ CLIMATE  AND  TEMPERATURE. 

“ The  island  consisting  partly  in  mountains  and  partly  in  plains, 
causes  a great  variety  in  the  climate  and  temperature.  This  variety 
is  especially  produced  by  the  situation  in  the  region  of  the  trade 
winds,  as  the  wind  coming  from  the  east,  towards  which  the  island 
presents  its  whole  length,  finds  in  the  intervals  of  the  chains  of 
mountains  so  many  channels  of  circulation,  by  means  of  which  it 
refreshes  and  tempers  the  mountains,  an  advantage  that  the  plains, 
where  portions  of  the  mountains  sometimes  interrupt  the  passage  of 
the  wind  and  change  its  direction,  do  not  partake  in.  Besides,  a 
crowd  of  local  circumstances,  such  as  the  elevation  of  the  land,  the 
quantity  of  water  that  runs  over  it,  and  the  scarcity  or  abundance 
of  wood,  have  a sensible  influence  upon  the  elBFect  of  the  climate. 

“ If  some  powerful  cause  did  not  balance  the  action  of  the  sun 
under  the  torrid  zone,  which  darts  its  rays  almost  perpendicularly 
during  about  three  months  in  the  year  at  St  Domingo,  the  tempera- 
ture of  this  island  would  be  insupportable  to  man,  or  at  least  to  the 
man  that  nature  had  not  formed  on  purpose  for  the  climate.  But 
this  cause  is  in  the  wind,  of  which  we  have  just  spoken,  the  salutary 
effects  of  which  soften  those  of  the  sun. 

“ To  the  benign  influence  of  the  wind  may  be  added  that  of  the 
almost  equal  length  of  the  days  and  nights,  and  that  of  abundant 
rains,  which  continually  fill  the  air  with  a fluidity  always  desirable, 
and 'which,  falling  in  profusion  on  the  surface  of  the  island,  pro- 
duces, with  the  assistance  of  the  evaporation  caused  by  the  heat,  a 
sort  of  coolness  in  the  air. 

“ The  eastern  wind  blows  at  St  Domingo,  as  in  the  rest  of  the 
Antilles,  almost  all  the  day  long,  during  the  greatest  part  of  the 
year.  It  begins  pretty  regularly  about  nine  or  ten  o’clock  in  the 
morning  ; rising  as  the  sun  rises  towards  his  meridian  height,  and 
even  after  he  begins  to  descend  towards  the  west,  it  continues  with 
unabated  strength  till  two  or  three  hours  before  sunset.  This  wind 
is  commonly  called  at  St  Domingo  the  sea  breeze,  in  opposition  to 
that  which  I am  now  going  to  speak  of. 

“ The  name  of  land  breeze  is  given  to  a wind  which  cools  the 
nights,  and  which  blows  from  the  interior  mountains.  It  generally 
begins  to  be  felt  about  two  or  three  hours  after  sunset,  and  continues 
till  sunrise. 

“ The  effect  of  these  two  breezes  forms  a curious  contrast.  That 


APPEND  ATORY. 


479 


of  the  sea,  coming  from  the  circumference  towards  the  centre,  is 
seen  advancing  in  that  direction,  agitating  the  leaves  and  other 
volatile  bodies  near  the  coast.  The  land  breeze  has  an  effect  exactly 
opposed,  and  the  more  the  situation  approaches  the  centre  of  the 
island  the  sooner  does  it  manifest  itself. 

“ It  must  not,  however,  be  imagined,  that  the  succession  of  these 
breezes  is  so  very  regular  as  not  to  be  subject  to  any  variation.  At 
certain  times  of  the  year,  and  particularly  during  the  equinoxes  and 
solstices,  the  sea  breeze  becomes  very  strong,  sometimes  even  im- 
petuous, and,  during  several  days,  blows  without  interval,  or  with 
but  short  pauses  ; during  which  time  the  land  breeze  is  not  felt  at 
all.  At  such  seasons  the  violence  of  the  sea  breeze  usually  augments 
at  the  rising  of  the  sun,  as  if  encouraged  by  his  presence. 

“At  other  times  the  land  breeze  predominates,  which  happens, 
for  instance,  in  the  tempestuous  seasons.  As  almost  all  the  tempests 
come  from  the  interior  part  of  the  island,  as  soon  as  they  begin  to 
overspread  the  sky  the  sea  breeze  dies  away,  leaving  the  empire  of 
the  horizon  to  that  of  the  land,  which  spreads  in  every  direction, 
but  with  unequal  rapidity,  thick  dark  clouds,  loaded  with  thunder 
and  lightning,  and  pouring  down  deluges  of  rain.  After  the  tempest 
is  over,  the  land  breeze  continues  predominant  for  the  night,  and 
even  till  the  next  day,  when  the  sea  breeze  drives  it  back  to  its 
retreat  in  the  mountains. 

“ From  the  combined  effect  of  the  two  breezes,  comes  an  almost 
continual  agitation  in  the  air,  which  necessarily  has  a great  deal  of 
influence  on  its  constituent  qualities.  With  the  sea  breeze  the  air 
acquires  the  quality  that  gives  to  the  lungs  what  is  necessary  to  resist 
the  heat  and  to  cool  the  blood,  which  an  abundant  perspiration 
tends  to  heat  and  impoverish.  But  it  is  for  the  cheering  return  of 
the  land  breeze  that  the  inhabitants  of  St  Domingo  wait  with  im- 
patience. This  refreshing  breeze  gives  to  the  whole  body  a calm 
sensation  that  the  soul  soon  participates ; it  invites  sleep,  renders  it 
restorative,  and,  in  the  high  lands,  it  strengthens  the  fibres,  and  even 
prolongs  life.** 

In  the  low  grounds,  the  thermometer  does  not  descend 
below  84°  F.,  and  ascends  as  high  as  91°;  but  in  the  high 
lands,  as  has  already  been  stated,  the  temperature  is  equable 
and  agreeable. 

Notwithstanding  this,  however,  the  inhabitants  scarcely 
agree  upon  what  periods  of  the  year  ought  to  be  designated 
winter  and  summer.  Those  who  live  to  the  west  and  south 
and  midland  parts  consider  the  time  between  April  and 


480 


APPEND  ATOnW 


November  as  including  the  winter  months  or  season  of 
storms,  the  inhabitants  of  the  northern  districts  reckon 
just  the  reverse,  but  neither  of  them  speak  of  spring 
or  autumn. 

The  best  season,  however,  for  the  new-comer  to  land  and 
become  easily  acclimated  may  be  said  to  be  any  time  after 
October. 

In  reference  to  the  common  belief  that  all  the  AYest  India 

islands  are  the  home  of 
innumerable  insects  of 
a venomous  nature,  it 
may  be  said  that  this  is 
quite  wrong.  The  scor- 
pion, so  much  dreaded 
by  the  Northern  mind, 
I saw  very  infrequently 
in  St  Domingo,  and 
Scorpion.  then  it  was  not  the 

wicked,  alarming  thing  I had  imagined ; and  its  sting  is 
never  dangerous,  however  inconvenient  in  its  etfects. 

The  tarantula  and  lizard  I have  already  alluded  to,  and 

there  only  remains 
the  centipede  to 
speak  of,  which  is 
rarely  met  with, 
and  then  no  more 
unpleasant  in  its 
effects  than  those 
of  the  Southern 
Centipede.  States.  But  tliis 

beautiful  isle  has  no  such  pests  as  we  possess  in  the  galaxy 
of  venomous  reptiles  and  snakes,  and  even  the  primeval 
forests  are  void  of  any  wild  ai;iimals. 

The  natural  productions  of  this  island  it  would  be  impos- 
sible, in  a volume  like  this,  to  describe.  Suffice  it  to  say,  that, 
in  addition  to  those  already  mentioned,  the  soil  and  climate 


APPENDATORY. 


481 


are  capable  of  producing  almost  every  variety  known  in  the 
world ; while  of  the  various  woods,  many  almost  unknown 
to  commerce,  the  supply  is  unlimited.  The  rnost  interesting 
subject  for  the  emigrant  would  naturally  be  the  land  ques- 
tion ; and  of  land  there  is  abundance  of  every  kind,  which 
for  many  years  is  likely  to  be  had  at  a reasonable  rate.  The 
tenure  at  present  is  very  peculiar,  the  system  in  vogue  being 
that  known  as  the  ‘‘  Communero,”  a term  which  must  not 
be  confounded  with  that  of  land  of  the  commune. 

The  first  arises  from  the  fact  that  landed  property,  at  the 
time  of  the  conquest  of  the  island,  and  during  the  following- 
centuries,  was  held  in  the  manner  then  prevailing,  as  a 
consequence  of  feudalism.  Society  being  divided  between 
lords  and  vassals,  masters  and  slaves,  the  land  was  made  pro- 
ductive by  the  sweat  of  the  unfortunates  who  did  not  reap  and 
enjoy  its  harvests,  and  it  passed  undivided  into  the  hands 
of  the  privileged  heir,  in  conformity  to  the  laws  of  primo- 
geniture and  entail,  in  order  to  preserve  the  lustre  of  family 
names.  Religious  communities  considered  as  corporate  moral 
persons  and  feudal  lords,  also  possessed  landed  property ; 
and  as  they  had  no  family  pride,  and  their  only  interest  was 
that  of  the  corporation,  their  property,  however  indivisible, 
became  a resource  for  the  poor  colonist,  who,  unable  to  acquire 
an  estate  gratuitously,  or  conditioned  on  a burden  of  service, 
as  did  the  nobility,  found  a means  of  living  by  his  own 
work  by  renting  monastic  lands,  paying  a certain  annual 
fee,  or  the  offering  of  tithe,  and  the  first-fruits  of  his  crops. 

The  original  owners  held  by  a complete  title,  and  most 
of  them  were  provided  with  a document  called  royal  guar- 
antee (Amparo  Real),  by  which  the  king  guaranteed  the 
validity  of  their  acquisitions.  At  the  death  of  the  pro- 
prietor of  an  estate  in  the  country,  of  whatever  description, 
whether  lots,  farming,  sugar,  or  pasture  lands,  his  children 
and  wdfe,  if  he  had  any,  inherited  that  property,  as  measured 
and  marked,  that  is,  contained  within  known  limits,  and 
fixed  on  the  plat  and  survey. 


482 


APPENDATORY. 


The  proprietor  having  been  married,  under  the  rule  of 
conjugal  community  of  property,  his  surviving  wife  was 
entitled  to  one  half  of  the  land,  and  the  children  born  during 
the  marriage  to  the  other  half.  The  family  continuing  to 
live  on  their  estate,  contained  within  the  same  limits,  though 
possessed  by  a plurality  of  owners,  established  certain  rules 
among  themselves  in  order  to  live  together,  each  by  one’s 
own  work,  without  actually  dividing  the  farm ; each  of  the 
brothers  and  sisters  having  a right  equal  to  that  of  each  of 
the  others,  and  the  widow  her  own,  equal  to  that  of  them  all. 

When  these  brothers  married  and  had  children,  that 
division  of  shares  was  further  subdivided,  that  is,  in  theo- 
retical right,  but  not  in  fact, — every  one  holding  propor- 
tionate to  his  rights  with  reference  to  the  extent  of  the 
entire  tract  inherited  as  shown  by  the  titles. 

The  causes  that  originally  prevented  the  actual  division 
of  the  ground  were  various — 

1 st.  The  high  cost  for  surveying,  which,  multiplied  accord- 
ing to  the  divisions  made,  would  not  only  absorb,  but  exceed, 
the  small  value  of  the  lands. 

2d,  The  nature  of  such  property  itself,  which  cannot  in 
fact  be  conveniently  and  equitably  divided,  all  being  united 
as  constituent  parts  of  a farm,  viz.,  the  savanas,  or  plains, 
for  the  pasture  of  horned  cattle,  horses,  and  sheep  ; the 
woods,  supplying  timber,  and  whose  shade  is  indispensable 
to  animals  during  the  heat  of  the  day,  and  .throughout  the 
hot  season  ; the  palm  groves,  furnishing  boards  and  covering 
for  the  building  of  huts,  and  food  for  swine,  and  the  fibres 
of  which  supply  cordage  to  the  country  people ; finally,  the 
lands  fit  for  cultivation,  and  running  waters  or  ponds  for 
the  use  of  both  man  and  beast. 

As  it  would  be  impossible  to  give  pasture,  wood,  arable 
land,  and  water  to  each  of  the  owners,  or  to  deprive  them  of 
a single  one  of  these  elements  without  causing  them  irrepar- 
able damage,  the  necessity  arises  for  harmonising  their  in- 
terests through  community  of  possession  under  a common 


APPENDATOBY. 


483 


title.  When  any  of  the  proprietors  wishes  to  sell  his  share, 
after  having  offered  it  to  his  co-owners  and  been  refused, 
he  can  sell  it  to  a stranger,  who  enters  not  into  the  com- 
munity of  the  family,  but  into  that  of  the  proprietorship 
as  co-owner. 

From  this  arises  the  curious  custom  of  buying  a right, 
hy  which  any  inhabitant  of  a commune  can  for  $50  or 
$100  secure  a right  which  gives  him  the  privilege  of  the 
land  just  as  much  as  though  he  owned  it,  upon  which  he 
can  settle,  and  build,  and  cultivate  as  much  as  he  likes, 
without  further  tax  or  rent ; this  he  buys  from  some  one  ol 
the  co-owners,  each  of  whom  has  a right  to  his  proportion. 
By  a curious  custom,  however,  which  has  become  a law, 
a man  who  buys  a right  to  settle  or  occupy  land  does  not 
necessarily  buy  any  privileges  of  mahogany-cutting  ; this  is 
a separate  matter,  and  neither  does  the  person  buying  the 
right  to  cut  mahogany  in  a certain  tract  secure  thereby  any 
claim  to  the  land. 

Of  course,  such  customs  can  only  exist  without  trouble 
in  a country  where  land  is  abundant  and  the  population 
small ; and  it  matters  little  at  present,  because  the  land 
is  not  measured.  Thus  a person  buying  for  $50  the  right 
to  enter  a communero  tract,  that  may  comprise  several 
leagues,  can  take  any  part  or  all  of  it  that  is  not  occupied, 
no  matter  how  much  it  may  be,  provided  he  does  not  inter- 
fere with  the  improved  land  of  any  one  else,  or  the  land 
from  which  is  drawn  their  supplies  of  timber.  To  secure  his 
title  he  must,  however,  occupy  and  use  it.  If,  however,  such 
person  temporarily  leaves  his  house  for  a year  or  more,  and 
it  burns  down,  and  the  improvements  are  not  kept  up,  any 
other  person  has  the  right  to  enter  upon  and  hold  his  tract. 

Naturally  from  this  condition  of  affairs  there  is  some- 
times considerable  uncertainty  about  titles,  and  the  most 
undoubted  one  is  that  where  the  owner  can  show  undisputed 
possession  for  thirty  years  back,  as  that  makes  a good  title. 

In  regard  to  the  public  lands,  there  is  no  certainty  as 
36 


484 


APPENDATORY. 


regards  the  quantity,  for  even  in  the  time  of  the  Spaniards 
the  archives  had  almost  entirely  disappeared  ; and  this  again 
is  subject  to  the  curious  system  of  the  Communes,”  which 
consist  of  the  districts  over  which  the  Ayuntamientos  ” 
rule,  and  who  hold  rights  in  all  unclaimed  lands  for  the 
commune.  But  these  lands  cannot  be  sold  except  by  per- 
mission of  the  general  Government,  although  the  commune 
can  give  such  a lease  as  is  equal  to  a title. 

There  is  no  difficulty,  however,  in  securing  plenty  of  good 
land  at  a merely  nominal  sum ; and,  as  an  illustration,  an 
American  has  bought  within  a short  distance  of  St  Domingo 
city  nearly  three  hundred  acres  of  land  for  some  $1200, 
upon  which  were  some  improvements  of  the  value  of  about 
$600.  He  has  held  this  land  about  three  years,  and  now 
has  fourteen  thousand  coffee-trees  growing,  hundreds  of 
bread-fruit,  tamarind,  orange,  lemon,  lime,  and  aguacate 
trees,  with  acres  of  the  cocoa-tree  set  out. 

From  corn  grass  alone,  this  enterprising  individual  has 
been  deriving  a revenue  of  from  $100  to  $150  per  month, 
without  there  being  an  ear  of  corn.  In  addition  to  these  he 
has  over  four  thousand  ban  ana- trees  just  commencing  to  bear. 

This  is  no  singular  case,  but  one  that  can  occur  with  anv 
ordinarily  intelligent  industrious  man. 

The  data  furnished  by  authorities  as  to  population  are 
very  meagre  and  unsatisfactory.  An  estimate  was  recently 
made  by  the  ecclesiastical  court,  counting  by  parishes,  which 
gave  a total  of  207,000.  There  are  evident  signs  of  errors 
in  this  estimate.  For  instance,  the  capital  was  set  down  at 
ten  thousand  ; while  it  is  obvious  to  the  careful  observer  who 
counts  streets  and  houses,  that  there  cannot  be  over  six 
thousand,  if  so  many.  Comparing  these  figures  of  the 
ecclesiastical  court  with  certain  known  facts,  and  with  all 
the  evidence  we  could  gather  from  intelligent  witnesses  and 
personal  observation,  the  Commission  estimate  that  the 
actual  population  of  the  republic  does  not  exceed  150,000. 
This  does  not  include  the  many  who  have  voluntarily 


APPEN  DATORY. 


485 


expatriated  themselves  on  account  of  continual  disturbances, 
nor  the  few  who  have  been  banished. 

It  seems  probable  that  more  than  nine-tenths,  perhaps 
nineteen-twentieths,  are  native  Dominicans.  The  others 
are — first,  coloured  emigrants  from  the  United  States ; 
secondly,  European  traders,  who  do  not  settle  anywhere, 
but  sojourn  at  commercial  points.  Negro  blood  prepon- 
derates very  largely  in  Hayti,  but  the  pure  negro  of  African 
type  is  not  common  even  there.  White  blood  preponderates 
largely  in  Dominica,  but  pure  whites,  in  the  popular  sense 
of  the  word,  are  not  numerous.  The  majority  are  of  a mixed 
race,  much  nearer  white  than  black. 

The  great  majority,  especially  along  the  coast,  are 
neither  pure  black  nor  pure  white ; they  are  mixed  in 
every  conceivable  degree.  In  some  parts  of  the  interior 
considerable  numbers  of  the  white  race  are  to  be  found,  and 
generally  in  the  mixed  race  the  white  blood  predominates. 
The  Dominican  people  differ  widely  in  this  particular  from 
the  Haytians,  among  whom  the  black  race  is  in  complete 
ascendancy.  The  cultivated  and  educated,  such  as  the 
President,  members  of  his  Cabinet,  senators,  judges,  and 
local  magistrates,  compare  well  with  the  same  classes  in 
other  countries,  and  the  uneducated  appear  equal  to  the 
same  class  in  any  country  with  which  we  are  acquainted. 
They  seem  to  be  practically  destitute  of  prejudice  of  class, 
race,  or  colour.  In  their  intercourse  with  each  other  and 
with  strangers,  they  are  courteous  in  manner,  respectful, 
and  polite.  In  all  their  relations  with  them  the  Com- 
missioners found  them  kind  and  hospitable. 

The  testimony  shows  them  to  be  an  honest  and  inoffensive 
people,  among  whom,  in  the  rural  districts,  a person  may 
travel  alone  and  unarmed  all  over  the  country  with  treasure 
without  danger.  All  of  the  numerous  parties  attached  to 
the  Commission,  which  traversed  various  parts  of  the 
country,  bear  the  same  testimony  concerning  the  people. 
The  judicial  officers  stated  that  high  crimes,  such  as  murder, 


486 


APPEND  ATORY. 


arson,  burglary,  and  the  like,  are  nearly  unknown  among 
them.  pauper  class  exists,  and  beggary  is  almost  un- 

known. They  are  temperate  people,  and  drunken  men  are 
rarely  seen.  Among  popular  vices  is  that  of  petty  gambling, 
which  is  indulged  in  openly  and  extensively,  especially  by 
the  Spanish  portion  of  the  population. 

They  are  all  Roman  Catholics,  except  the  American 
emigrants  sent  out  in  1824  and  succeeding  years,  who,  with 
their  descendants,  now  form  a number  of  settlements,  and 
amount  to  several  thousand  persons.  These  are  mostly 
Methodists  and  Baptists-  They  live  among  the  Catholics 
in  peace  and  harmonj^  No  intolerance  or  religious 
persecution  can  be  discovered  among  them.  The  people 
are  generally  poor,  living  in  cheap  and  humble  dwellings, 
which,  though  well  adapted  to  their  country,  might  appear 
rude  and  uncomfortable  to  those  accustomed  to  houses  made 
for  a more  rigorous  climate,  but,  as  compared  with  those  of 
the  labouring  class  in  Europe,  infinitely  superior.  In  the 
country,  almost  every  family  possesses  all  the  land  they 
desire  to  cultivate,  which  is  generally  one  small  field,  for  an 
acre  or  two  well  tilled  is  sufficient,  in  this  fertile  land,  to  fur> 
nish  a family  with  their  food.  The  reason  they  unanimously 
assign  for  not  cultivating  more  is,  that  amid  constantly 
recurring  revolutions  it  is  very  uncertain  who  may  reap  the 
crop.  Besides,  there  is  no  market  here  for  surplus  produce. 

As  regards  the  future,  this  question  of  population  is  a very 
satisfactory  one,  if  St  Domingo  should  become  allied  to  any 
strong  Grovernment ; for  five  years’  emigration  would  entirely 
change  its  character,  as  has  been  the  case  in  California. 

It  has  been  the  fashion  among  some  of  our  politicians  to 
urge  the  purchase  of  Cuba,  even  at  the  price  of  one  hundred 
millions  of  dollars,  and  it  has  a large  and  extensively  mixed 
population,  with  all  their  habits,  ideas,  and  customs  fully 
established,  with  still  a larger  number  of  slaves  and  coolies.* 


* The  author  takes  the  liberty  of  referring  the  reader  interested  in  this 
subject  to  his  previous  work  on  Cuba,  in  which  he  will  see  how,  even  under 


APPENDATORY. 


487 


But  here  is  an  almost  virgin  island,  more  desirable  in 
every  way,  with  a free,  limited,  and  simple  people,  who  have  no 
particularly  fixed  habits,  ideas,  or  customs,  that  would  not 
readily  assimilate  to  those  of  the  new-comers.  One-tenth  of 
the  above-named  sum,  expended  in  improving  the  means  of 
communication,  in  exploring  and  seeking  information  of  its 
resources,  with  the  change  that  American  machinery  and 
enterprise,  accompanying  emigration  into  the  island,  would 
bring,  would  in  a few  years  give  us  an  island  equally  valuable 
as  Cuba,  and  aptly  illustrate  the  fact  that  our  institutions 
and  civilisation  are  adapted  to  any  climate  and  to  any  people. 

As  a great  deal  has  been  said  in  reference  to  the  finances 
and  the  land  concessions  of  the  Dominican  Government,  I 
here  append  the  result  of  the  searching  investigations  of 
the  Commissioners.  First,  in  reference  to  the 

“public  debt. 

“ The  Commissioners  made  a careful  and  prolonged  investigation 
into  the  important  subject  of  the  indebtedness  of  the  Dominican 
Republic,  collecting  all  the  information  that  could  be  communicated 
by  the  officials  whose  special  duty  it  was  to  know  every  detail  of 
the  finances  and  the  liabilities  of  the  Government,  all  that  could  be 
obtained  from  the  records  in  the  public  offices,  from  the  statements 
of  claimants  of  every  kind  who  could  be  heard  of  and  found,  and 
from  the  explanations  of  the  President  and  his  chief  officers  in  regard 
to  the  whole  and  each  item  thereof.  They  also  received  from  the 
Senate  a list  of  claims  and  their  respective  amounts  pending  before 
that  body,  which  is  appended. 

“ The  following  summary  statement  exhibits  briefly  the  result  of 
those  inquiries  as  to  ‘ the  debt  of  the  Government  and  its  obligations 
whether  funded  and  ascertained  and  admitted,  or  unadjusted  and 
under  discussion.’  The  receipts  of  the  last  three  years  have  been 
mostly  used  for  previous  war  debts,  and  for  the  cancelling  of  out- 
standing paper  money.  The  latter,  which  originally  amounted  to  the 
sum  of  ^2,628,300,  left  in  circulation  by  Cabral,  has  been  nearly  all 
redeemed  by  customs  receipts,  as  was  also  the  amount  of  $243,070  in 
Spanish  war  bonds. 

a despotic  and  shortsighted  Government,  this  island  has,  within  only  a few 
years  comparatively,  and  principally  owing  to  the  introduction  of  American 
machinery,  been  developed.  The  author  believes  the  day  St  Domingo  becomes 
one  of  the  United  States,  that  day  is  the  value  of  Cuba  lost  to  Spain. 


488 


APPENDATORY. 


I.  The  salaries  due  amount  to  ...  . $600,000  00 

II.  Bonds,  treasury  notes,  &c.,  viz. : — 

1.  Spanish  war  bonds,  amount  issued,  . $324,160  00 
Amount  cancelled,  . . . 243,070  00 


Amount  outstanding, 

2.  Treasury  notes,  nominal  balance  in 

circulation,  $147,575.18,  at  the 
price  fixed  by  senatorial , decree, 
$400  for  one  dollar  in  silver,  gives 
really  .... 

3.  Notes  of  credit  (new  paper  money), 

nominal  balance  out  of  the  Con- 
troller’s office,  $88,832.30  ; at  30 
for  one  silver  dollar, 

4.  Obligations  of  the  present  Adminis- 

tration, issued  by  the  Controller,  . 

5.  Obligations  of  the  present  Adminis- 

tration, issued  by  the  Controller, 
at  6 per  cent.. 


81,090  00 


368  93| 


2,961  07 
9,761  36 

1,153  00 


Total  of  bonds,  treasury  notes,  &c. 

III.  Sundry  debts  and  loans  due  towns  and  individuals. 


95,334  36 
49,443  02 


DEFERRED  DEBT. 


IV.  Bills  and  obligations  of  Cabral’s  Administration,  unpaid 
because  of  doubtful  origin,  the  gross  amount  of 
which  is,  ...... 

Note. — This  debt  is  now  in  process  of  consolidation, 
and  may  be  reduced  to  less  than  one-third  of  its 
nominal  sum. 

V.  Notes  of  National  Bank,  countersigned  by  the  General 
Treasurer,  ...... 

V I.  Sundry  loans  bearing  interest  (back  interest  not  included), 
VII.  Loan,  without  interest,  subject  to  rebate  for  advances,  . 
VIII.  Debt  of  1859  ♦ 

Amount  not  known,  because  it  is  not  known  whether 
any  was  redeemed  during  the  Spani.sh  Administration. 
It  cannot  exceed  $50,000  or  $60,000,  reckoned  at  . 


221,845  77 


4,130  00 
293,511  23 
20,223  20 


50,000  00 


Total  debt, 

IX.  Pending  claims  : — 

Of  .Jessurun  & Son,  claim  before  Senate, 
for  loan  of  $100,000  in  1857,  con- 
tested since,  and  now  under  considera- 
tion by  the  Chamber  of  Accounts, 

Of  Jessurun  & Son,  for  hire  of  schooner 
Amelia  in  1857,  less  than 
Of  Rofman  & Lowenthal,  and  others. 

Of  General  Baez,  for  spoliations. 

Of  W.  L.  Cazeneau,  for  spoHations  in  1863, 


$1,334,487  59A 


$100,000  00 

10,000  00 

14.000  00 

70.000  00 
10,000  00 


Total,  ..... 
X.  Of  J.  C.  Castillanos,  francs  131,719  40. 

Of  A.  Postel,  francs  5,007. 

Total  of  debt  and  claims  in  dollars,  about 


. 204,000  00 

. 1,565,831  59k 


Ml- AIM 


APPENDATORY. 


489 


“ The  following  statement  of  the  receipts  for  1870  is  here  presented, 
in  order  to  give,  as  far  as  possible,  a complete  view  of  the  financial 
condition  of  the  Dominican  Republic  : — 


RESULTS  OF  THE  INCOME  OF  THE  GOVERNMENT  FOR  1870. 


Tonnage, 
Entrance  fees, 

1.  Custoins  Receipts. 

§27,206  60 

1,469  95 

Light-houses, 

679  01 

Anchorage,  . 

1,469  95 
1,429  27 

Pilotage, 

Lighterage,  . 

216  00 

Interpreter, 

614  20i 

Signal-men, . 
Quarantine, 

594  16.4 

430  16i 

Wharfage,  . 

• , 

6,793  38 

Recargo,  municipal, 

1,105  36^ 

Recargo  for  steamer, 

5,886  14 

Water, 

241  00 

Import  dues. 

601,393  64^ 

Export  dues. 

71,419  201 

Coast  fees,  . 

7,511  11 

Deposits, 

132  43 

Additional  entrance  fees, 

14  00 

^728,605  58| 

2.  Direct  and  Indirect  Taxes. 


Registry  and  mortgages, 
Licences, 

Stamped  paper. 

Postage  stamps, 

Postal  income. 

§2,147  06^ 
12,721  86| 
18,574  50 
1,083  69 
929  42| 

35,466  55 
150  00 

Sales  and  rents. 

3.  Public  Property. 

• • • • 

• • 

Sundries,  . • . 

4.  Sundries. 

• • • ' • 

• • 

8,462  624 

Total, 

• « • • 

. 

§772,684  754 

“ The  Commissioners  believe  that  the  statement  of  the  public  debt 
given  above  includes  all  the  indebtedness  or  obligations  for  w'hich 
the  Dominican  Republic  is  in  any  degree  liable,  as  well  that  which 
it  considers  valid  and  binding  as  that  which  it  regards  as  unfounded 
or  overstated  by  the  claimants.  Throughout  the  inquiry  it  was 
urged  upon  the  Dominican  authorities  that  every  claim  known  to  exist, 
of  whatever  character,  should  be  exhibited  to  the  Commission,  whose 
object  was  not  only  to  determine  the  precise  amount  that  was  justlv 
due  and  binding,  but  to  get  at  the  bottom  and  find  the  utmost  limit 
of  these  obligations,  setting  forth  everything  for  which  the  Govern- 
ment could,  under  any  circumstances,  be  made  liable. 


490 


APPElYDATORY. 


“ The  above  account  contains  much  that  the  Dominican  Govern- 
ment believes  to  be  partly  or  wholly  groundless,  and  some  which,  upon 
inspection,  will  appear  questionable.  There  was  brought  to  the  notice 
of  the  Commission  a claim  of  Messrs  Jessurun  & Son,  of  Curacoa,  for 
upwards  of  $500,000  for  money  advanced  to  the  Dominican  Govern- 
ment, with  interest,  this  being  the  same  loan  of  $100,000,  in  1857, 
mentioned  in  the  preceding  list  of  the  pending  claims  by  the  same 
parties.  On  being  asked  if  he  had  any  statement  or  explanation  to 
make  regarding  it,  Mr  Jessurun,  who  submitted  the  claim,  declined 
to  make  any.  This  claim  has  been  already  for  a considerable  time 
before  the  Dominican  Government,  which  refuses  to  consider  more 
of  it  than  the  amount  named  in  the  foregoing  list,  and  of  that  it  is 
believed  but  a small  portion  will  be  allowed. 

“ The  debt  was  incurred  for  arms  and  provisions  in  time  of  war, 
when  the  property  furnished  was  estimated  at  $100,000,  on  which 
compound  interest,  at  18  per  cent.,  was  to  be  allowed.  It  is  claimed 
by  the  Dominican  Government  that,  soon  after  the  original  contract 
was  made,  the  Government  turned  over  to  these  claimants  a ship  and 
cargo  valued  at  $70,000  dollars,  and  that  subsequently  other  payments 
were  made,  which,  taken  together,  reduce  the  amount  to  a sum  much 
below  that  named  in  the  foregoing  list.  The  claim  is  now  pending 
before  the  Dominican  Senate,  and  undetermined.  Among  the  pend- 
ing claims  is  one  of  President  Baez  for  destruction  of  property. 

“It  is  alleged  by  the  claimant  that  the  Spanish  Government  recog- 
nised this  claim  as  valid,  and  ordered  an  examination  to  fix  the 

* \ 

amount,  but  the  Commission  cannot  understand  how  this  claim  could 
be  valid  against  the  Dominican  Government. 

“Another  claim  for  damages,  amounting  to  $10,000,  made  by  W. 
L.  Cazeneau^  seems  to  be  of  a similar  nature.’^ 

Passing  over  all  of  the  statements,  so  freely  made  in 
the  United  States,  of  grants  of  land  having  been  made  to 
prominent  officials,  as  utterly  without  foundation,  I shall 
give  a glance  at  some  concessions  of  lands,  rights,  and 
privileges  that  are  still  in  force,  many  others  which  had 
been  previously  granted  being  now  entirely  void ; and 
it  may  he  said  that,  if  the  terms  of  these  concessions 
are  complied  with  and  fully  carried  out,  St  Domingo  will 
receive  a fair  quid  pro  quo  for  that  she  bestows. 

I cannot  refrain,  however,  from  expressing  a wish  that 
our  Government  had  seen  fit  to  accept  this  island  as  a 
territory,  and,  taking  charge  of  its  development  and  interests. 


AFPENDATOllY. 


491 


had  retained  in  its  own  hands  the  control  of  roads,  mines, 
and  telegraph.  In  doing  this  it  would  more  rapidly  develop 
the  resources  of  the  island,  would  give  confidence  to  the 
settler,  and  enable  at  once  this  island  to  take  a place  in 
the  moneyed  and  commercial  world  as  a spot  worthy  of  the 
attention  of  the  largest  capitalists. 

The  United  States  Commission,  as  directed  by  the  resolu- 
tions of  Congress,  made  diligent  inquiry  to  ascertain  what 
proportion  of  the  territory  is  covered  by  foreign  claims  or 
by  grants  and  concessions,  and  generally  what  concessions 
and  franchises  have  been  granted,  with  the  names  of  the 
respective  grantees.  The  following  list,  condensed  from  an 
ofScial  statement  furnished  by  the  Dominican  Secretary  of 
State,  with  accompanying  documents,  and  confirmed  by  the 
testimony,  gives  an  answer  to  this  inquiry  : — 

A grant  to  J.  W.  Fabens,  or  a company  organised 
for  the  purpose,  dated  July  3,  1868,  of  a portion  of  the 
public  lands,  on  condition  of  making  a geological  survey. 
This  is  a contract  authorising  Fabens,  by  himself,  or  any 
company  organised  for  the  purpose,  to  make  a general  geolo- 
gical examination  and  survey  of  all  the  provinces  and  districts 
at  the  expense  of  said  company,  reports  to  be  made  every 
three  months,  as  the  survey  progresses,  to  the  Dominican 
Government,  to  enable  it  to  offer  for  sale  the  mitieral  and 
agricultural  lands  of  the  localities  examined,  also  an  annual 
report  of  said  company : to  receive  one-fifth  of  the  public 
lands  so  surveyed,  excepting  coal  lands,  to  he  set  apart  as 
the  quarterly  reports  are  rendered.  This  survey  is  now  in 
progress.  The  parties  owning  the  franchise  and  paying  the 
expense  are  chiefly  New  York  capitalists. 

A grant  to  R.  M.  Funkhauser,  of  New  Jerse}^,  October  7, 
1868,  for  a line  of  mail  steamers  between  New  York,  New 
Orleans,  and  the  Dominican  Republic,  with  a provision  that  5 
per  cent,  of  the  import  and  export  dues  on  all  merchandise 
carried  by  said  line  be  allowed  to  the  owners  of  steamers. 
This  line  is  now  rim  by  Spofford  Brothers  of  New  York. 


492 


AFPENDATORY. 


A graut  to  Ed.  H.  Hartmont,  to  take  guano  from  the 
island  of  Alta  Vela,  in  consideration  of  the  loan  of  May 
1869.  As  this  loan  was  for  a large  amount,  and  has 
given  rise  to  a great  many  statements  from  those  opposed 
to  the  annexation  scheme,  it  may  be  as  well  to  state  here,  that 
it  was  originally  to  be  negotiated  for  the  sum  of  £420,000, 
and  was  to  be  brought  out  in  London  ; and  that,  as  security' 
for  its  payment,  certain  liens  and  concessions  were  made  of 
lands  £^nd  privileges  which  have  since  been  voided,  except 
that  of  the  Alta  Vela  privilege,  as  the  Dominican  authorities 
claim,  for  non-fulfilment  of  contract. 

Fifty  thousand  pounds  were  to  be  paid  down  on  the  con- 
clusion of  the  contract,  but  owing  to  some  revolutionary 
troubles,  only  some  £3000  were  so  paid  at  once,  but  subse- 
quently a further  sum  was  paid,  and  the  Dominican  authori- 
ties acknowledge  in  their  books  an  indebtedness  to  Hartmont 
& Co.,  of  London,  to  the  amount  of  £38,095,  4s.  9d.,  which 
they  contend  is  the  sum  received,  but  for  which  there  is  a 
claim  of  £50,000  at  6 per  cent.,  and  which  the  Dominicans 
had  under  discussion  ; this  is  the  principal  part  in  the  above 
statement  of  interest-bearing  loans. 

A grant  to  Fred.  H.  Fisher,  of  New  York,  September  9, 
1869,  for  building  a railroad  from  Santiago  to  Yuna  river 
or  Samana  peninsula;  to  Felix  Montecatini,  August  3, 
1867,  renewed  and  extended  April  5,  1870;  to  Shumacker 
& Augenard,  for  railroad  from  Ozama  river  to  San  Christo- 
bal ; to  Julian  Grangerard,  June  3,  1870,  for  building  a rail- 
road from  Azua  to  Los  Caobas ; to  Levi  Guilamo,  November 

4,  1870,  for  constructing  telegraph  lines  necessary  in  the 
republic ; to  Carlos  Baez,  May  8,  1870,  for  rent  of  salt 
works  at  Bani ; to  Telesforo  Volto,  for  salt  works  at  Beata 
Island ; to  Industrial  and  Progressive  Company,  November 

5,  1866,  to  work  copper-mine  at  El  Cobre,  San  Cristobal ; 
to  W.  L.  Cazeneau,  January  18,  1867,  copper-mine  at 
Monte  Mateo,  San  Cristobal;  to  the  same,  July  12,  1869, 
copper-mine  at  Mano  Matuey,  and  at  Loma  de  la  Boca 


APFENDATORY. 


493 


de  Diamarte,  San  Cristobal  (the  last  three  being  con- 
solidated under  law  of  August  10,  1870)  ; to  Cambiaso  & 
Co,,  October  24,  1867,  copper-mine  at  Boca  de  Cuajo, 
Upper  Haina,  San  Cristobal ; to  St  Domingo  Company 
(Geological  Survey  Company),  February  25,  1870,  the 
raining  circuit,  Buenaventura,  Upper  Haina,  San  Cris- 
tobal, by  virtue  of  geological  survey,  to  be  modified  to 
conform  to  geological  contract;  to  Felix  Montecatini, 
March  19,  1867,  mining  district  in  Cuajo  San  Cristobal 
(void),  renewed  to  Shumacher  & Augnard,  July  28,  1870; 
to  St  Domingo  Company,  September  16,  1870;  mining 
district  of  Camu. 

The  Dominican  Government  has  made  no  grant  or  con- 
cession of  land  to  any  foreign  Government  or  nation  except 
the  United  States. 

To  the  grants  to  foreigners  by  the  Government  above 
enumerated  must  be  added  some  by  municipalities.  Of 
these  the  only  ones  which  seem  to  the  Commission  to  re- 
quire notice  here  are  those  to  certain  parties,  citizens  of  the 
United  States,  of  lauds  and  lots  in  the  village  of  Santa 
Barbara,  on  the  Bay  of  Samana,  granted  by  the  authorities 
of  that  town  from  its  property  as  follows  : — To  J.  P. 
O’Sullivan,  December  1,  1868,  of  930  feet  fronting  on  the 
harbour  and  extending  back  several  hundred  feet,  varying 
in  depth  in  different  parts,  at  $62  per  annum  rent  for 
twenty-one  years ; also,  84  feet  and  90  feet  to  the  same  at 
$4  rent  for  each,  December  11,  1869.  These  leases  are 
made  perpetual,  provided  there  be  no  law  to  prevent  the 
same.  To  J.  W.  Fabens,  December  11,  1869,  of  1683  feet, 
fronting  on  the  harbour,  in  perpetuity  at  §112  per  annum. 
These  grants  cover  a large  part  of  the  unoccupied  available 
front  of  the  harbour.  There  was  also  a lease  by  the  municipal 
government  of  the  city  of  St  Domingo  of  a wharf  front  of 
limited  extent  and  importance  to  AV.  L.  Cazeneau. 

And  here  my  labours  must  come  to  an  end;  but  before 
taking  my  leave  of  the  reader,  I will  answer  a question  that 


494 


APPEND  A TORY. 


has  often  been  addressed  to  me  since  my  return,  Is  St 
Domingo  such  a desirable,  beautiful  land?  ” 

With  a free  government,  and  such  an  immigration  as 
annexation  to  the  United  States  would  bring,  I believe  in 
a few  years  St  Domingo  would  be  the  jewel  state  of  our 
Union,  not  even  excepting  California.  It  has  been  the  lot 
of  the  writer  to  traverse  every  section  of  his  own  land,  and 
he  knows  no  state  or  section  more  attractive ; for  here  the 
labourer  will  find  ample  occupation,  while  to  the  man  of 
means  or  cultivation  a field  is  open  to  amply  reward  his 
investments,  or  give  him  unlimited  sources  of  pleasure, 
in  establishing  homes  that  shall  rival  the  most  beautiful  of 
so-called  sunny  Italy  itself. 

It  is  only  since  the  writer’s  visit  to  Europe  that  be  has 
fully  comprehended  the  reason  of  the  admiration  of  the 
early  Europeans  for  the  sunny  lands  of  the  tropics  ; and  be 
believes  that  were  Santo  Domingo  settled  and  rendered 
habitable,  that  thousands  of  our  citizens,  who  now  spend 
their  winters  on  some  parts  of  tlie  continent,  looking  for  a 
climate  they  never  find,  would  here  discover  a winter  resi- 
dence unrivalled  in  any  part  of  the  world. 

But  what  stronger  evidence  can  be  quoted  than  the  words 
of  that  venerable  cosmopolite  Dr  Howe,  who,  on  receiving  a 
serenade  from  some  Dominicans,  said  : — 

“ People  too  often  overlook  or  forget  the  good  they  have,  and 
think  only  of  their  sufferings  and  wants.  Since  I have  been  here, 
people  have  been  talking  continually  to  me  about  the  disadvantages 
under  which  they  labour — of  the  convulsions,  and  civil  wars,  and 
oppressions,  and  all  that.  There  is  anolher  side  of  the  picture.  I 
find  myself  in  danger  of  having  my  reason  carried  away  by  my 
senses.  All  my  senses  are,  as  it  were,  subjugated  by  the  surround- 
ings. I find  the  most  beautiful  island  I have  ever  seen.  The  balmy 
atmosphere,  the  mild  and  even  temperature — everything  addresses 
itself  to  my  sense  de  hien  etre.  My  eyes  are  dazzled  by  the  beauty 
of  enchanting  scenery.  My  sense  of  taste  is  gratified  by  the  luscious 
and  abundant  fruits  that  are  everywhere  around  us  ; and  now  comes 
your  music,  and  so  charms  away  my  sense  of  hearing,  that  I find 
all  my  senses  enlisted  and  carried^away  in  your  favour ; and  although 


APPENDATORY. 


495 


I may  not  say  what  I shall  advise  my  countrymen  to  do  on  the 
subject  of  annexing  the  Dominican  Kepublic,  I feel  strongly  inclined 
to  annex  myself  and  my  family  to  this  beautiful  island.” 


HINTS  TO  EMIGRANTS  OR  TRAVELLERS. 

St  Domingo  may  be  easily  visited  by  steamer  from  New  York 
once  a month.  Any  time  after  October  it  will  be  found  a delight- 
ful trip,  even  if  never  leaving  the  steamer  except  while  she  is  in 
various  ports. 

From  St  Domingo,  the  trip  may  be  extended  to  Puerto  Rico, 
Curacoa,  St  Thomas,  Jamaica,  and  either  across  or  around  Cuba 
to  the  United  States.  The  money  of  most  value  in  use  is  American 
gold  and  silver. 

The  emigrant  is  advised  to  take  all  supplies  with  him  in  the 
shape  of  clothing,  which  need  be  only  light  woollen  or  linens,  with 
woollen  underclothing  of  a Tight  kind. 

For  those  who  intend  prospecting  the  island,  a good  M‘Clellan 
saddle-tree,  with  stirrups  and  stirrup  leathers  only,  of  russet  leather, 
will  be  found  better  than  anything  on  the  island  ; with  this  a felt 
saddle-cloth  and  small  saddle-bags. 

High  boots  and  shoes  are  best  of  russet  leather,  on  account  of  the 
mud.  A poncho  or  waterproof  cloak  will  be  useful. 

A small  mess-chest  with  a stout  tent-fly  will  make  the  traveller 
with  his  own  supplies  absolutely  independent  of  hotels  or  hospi- 
tality. 

Extract  of  beef  in  small  cans  or  jars  will  prove  worth  its  weight 
in  gold  in  a place  where  fresh  meat  is  seldom  to  be  had,  and  then 
only  of  pork,  the  free  use  of  which  is  undoubtedly  the  cause  of  so 
much  sickness  in  the  tropics. 

A stout  wood-knife  is  always,  and  a revolver  sometimes  useful ; 
and  a shot-gun  may  be  of  service  where  there  is  no  field  for  a 
rifle. 

A pocket  Spanish  Dictionary  will  sometimes  get  one  out  of  a 
difliculty,  and  sometimes — into  one. 


DIOS.  TAT  HI  A.  LIBERT  AD. 

REPUBLICA  DOMINICANA. 
hidepcndmce  or  Death. 


496 


APPEND  AT  OR  T. 


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tx; 


AFFENDATORY. 


497 


GENERAL  STATISTICS  PERTAINING  TO  HAYTI. 

The  following  shows  of  what  this  island  is  capable,  under  proper 
administration.  The  Spanish  portion,  it  has  been  shown,  has 
never  been  sufficiently  populated,  or  peacefully  governed  for  a 
lengthened  period,  to  give  any  important  or  reliable  results ; but 
being  the  virgin  part  of  the  island,  nearly  three  times  the  extent  of 
Hayti,  and  of  much  more  productive  climate  and  soil  generally,  some 
idea  can  be  formed  by  comparison  of  what  it  might  be  capable. 


General  Statement  of  the  Productions  and  Manufactures  of  the 
French  Part  of  St  Domingo  in  the  year  1791. 


The  island  was  divided  into  fifty-one  parishes,  containing — 


Sugar  plantations,  . 

. 792 

Cocoa  plantations,  . 

69 

Coffee  do. 

. 2810 

Limekilns, 

. 313 

Cotton  do. 

. 705 

Brick  yards  and  potteries. 

61 

Indigo  do. 

Tanneries, 

Rum  distilleries. 

. 3097 

Number  of  negro  hands 

3 

employed, 

455,000 

. 173 

The  products  of  the  above,  and  its  accompanying  business,  gave 
rise  to  a commerce  which  comprised  more  than  one-third  of  the 
whole  of  that  done  by  France.  A comparative  table  shows  there 
was — 


Exported  from  Hayti  in  1789—1820. 


1789.  1820. 

lbs.  ' lbs. 

Clayed  sugar,  47,516,531  2,787 

Moscobado, . 93,573,309  2,514,502 

CoflFee,  . 76,835,219  35,137,759 

Cotton,  . 7,001,274  346,389 

Cocoa,  . . ...  556,424 


1789.  1820. 

lbs.  lbs. 

Indigo,  . . 758,628 

Molasses,  . 25,749 

Dyewoods,  . 6,768,634  1,919,748 

Tobacco,  . ...  97,600 

Mahogany,  ft.  ...  129,500 


In  1789,  the  money  value  of  these  exports  amounted  to  over 
twenty-eight  millions  of  dollars ; and  at  a glance  it  will  be  seen,  in 
comparison  with  the  year  1820,  what  an  immense  falling  off  there 
was  under  the  negro  regime  ; and  the  following  tables  will  show 
what  an  immense  difference  exists  in  the  Hayti  of  to-day  and  the 
St  Domingo  of  the  past, — the  sugar  and  molasses  product  being 
utterly  extinct 


498 


APPENDATORY. 


The  whole  Island,  1835-36-40. 


1835, 

1836. 

1840. 

lbs. 

lbs. 

lbs. 

Ginger, 

8,710 

16,000 

8,136 

Hides,* 

24,951 

14,891 

39,627 

Wax,  . 

10,900 

16,000 

19,862 

Coffee, 

48,352,371 

37,662,672 

46,126,272 

Cotton, 

1,649,717 

1,072,555 

922,575 

Cocoa, 

397,324 

550,584 

442,365 

Dy  e woods, +. 

13,293,737 

6,767,902 

30,283,205 

Tobacco,  + . 

2,086,600 

1,222,716 

1,725,389 

ft. 

ft. 

fr. 

Mahogany,  . 

513,316 

4,954,944 

4,072,641 

In  1857-8,  the  coffee  crop 

3xported  amounted  to  over 

33,285,000  lbs.  This  is 

sxclusive  of  that  used 

in  the  island,  and 

that  remaining  unpicked. 

1 

The  importations  of  1858  w^ere  equal  to  nearly  $4,000,000  ; the 

exportations,  $6,500,000. 

Of  these- 

IMPORTATIONS. 

EXPORTATIONS. 

Per  cent. 

Per  cent.  • 

From  England,  . 

• • 

19.84 

36.74 

„ United  States,  . 

55.76 

21.75 

„ France, 

13.34 

20.42 

„ Other  places. 

• 

11.06 

12.09 

Since  that  period  the  amounts  produced  have  rather  decreased 

than  increased,  and  the  Government  may  really  be  said  to  be  bank- 


rupt, since  it  cannot  redeem  its  paper  currency. 


TREATY  concluded  between  the  Plentpotentiaeies  of  their 
Most  Christian  and  Most  Catholic  Majesties,  concerning 
the  Boundaries  of  the  French  and  Spanish  Possessions  in 
the  Island  of  St  Domingo,  June  3,  1777. 

Preamble. — In  order  to  effect  the  said  treaty,  the  two  sovereigns 
have  named  the  following  plenipotentiaries,  to  wit — On  the  part  of 
his  Most  Christian  Majesty,  his  Excellency  the  Marquis  of  Ossun, 
grandee  of  Spain  of  the  first  order,  field-marshal  in  the  army  of  his 
Most  Christian  Majesty,  knight  of  his  orders,  and  his  ambassador 
extraordinary  and  plenipotentiary  at  the  court  of  Spain  ; and,  on 

* Principally  from  St  Domingo. 

t Principally  the  product  of  the  logwood,  planted  by  the  French  for 
hedges,  and  now  overgrown. 

J Principally  from  St  Domingo. 


APPENDATORY. 


499 


the  part  of  his  Most  Catholic  Majesty,  his  Excellency  Don  Joseph 
Monino  de  Florida  Blanca,  knight  of  the  order  of  Charles  IIL, 
counsellor  of  state,  and  first  secretary  of  state  for  foreign  affairs. 
The  said  plenipotentiaries,  after  having  conferred  together,  and  made 
a mutual  communication  of  their  full  powers,  have  agreed  on  the 
following  articles : — 

Article  I. — The  boundaries  between  the  two  nations  shall  remain 
perpetually  and  invariably  fixed  at  the  mouth  of  the  river  D’Ajabon, 
or  River  of  the  Massacre,  on  the  northern  side  of  the  said  island,  and 
at  the  mouth  of  the  river  Pedernales,  or  Des  Anses  a Pitre,  on  the 
southern  side,  in  the  terms  specified  in  the  second  article ; observing 
only  here,  that  if,  in  future,  any  doubt  should  arise  as  to  the  identity 
of  the  rivers  Pedernales  and  Anses  a Pitre,  it  is  already  decided  that 
it  is  the  river  commonly  called  by  the  Spaniards  the  river  Pedernales, 
that  the  plenipotentiaries  mean  to  point  out  as  the  boundary. 

Article  IL — Seeing  that  the  last  survey,  taken  by  the  Viscount 
of  Choiseul  and  Don  .foachim  Garcia,  in  quality  of  commissioners, 
conjointly  with  the  respective  engineers  and  inhabitants  born  in  the 
country,  has  been  executed  in  the  most  exact  and  minute  manner, 
with  a perfect  knowledge  of  the  arrangement  made  between  the 
French  and  Spanish  commandants  on  the  29th  February  1776  ; and 
seeing  that  they  had  before  their  eyes  the  different  tracts  of  territory, 
and  were  fully  capable  of  clearing  up  all  doubts  and  ambiguities 
that  could  arise  from  the  wording  of  the  said  arrangement  ; and 
further,  seeing  that  landmarks  have  been  planted  by  a common 
accord  all  along  the  frontier,  and  that  more  correct  plans  have  been 
taken  in  which  the  said  landmarks  are  distinctly  represented  ; for 
these  reasons,  the  undersigned  plenipotentiaries  stipulate,  that  the 
said  instrument,  made  and  signed  by  the  said  commissaries  on  the 
28th  August  1776,  and  in  which  all  the  points,  rivers,  valleys,  and 
mountains,  through  or  over  which  the  line  of  demarcation  passes, 
are  clearly  and  distinctly  pointed  out,  shall  be  inserted  in,  and  make 
part  of  the  present  article,  as  follows  : — 

Description  of  the  boundaries  of  the  Island  of  St  Domingo,  as 
fixed  at  Attalaya  the  29th  of  February  1776,  by  the  definitive 
treaty,  sub  sperat%  concluded  between  their  Excellencies,  Don 
Joseph  Solano,  knight  of  the  order  of  St  Jago,  brigadier  in  the  royal 
army  of  his  Catholic  Majesty,  governor  and  captain-general  of  the 
Spanish  part,  president  of  the  royal  court,  inspector  of  the  regulars 
and  militia,  superintendent  of  the  crusade,  sub-delegate  judge  of  the 
revenue  of  the  posts,  and  plenipotentiary  of  his  Catholic  Majesty  ; 
and  Victor  Therese  Charpentier,  Marquis  of  Ennery,  count  of  the 
Holy  Empire,  field-marshal  in  the  army  of  his  Most  Cliristian 
Majesty,  great  cross  of  the  royal  military  order  of  St  Louis,  inspector- 
37 


500 


AFPENDATORY. 


general  of  infantry,  regulars,  and  militia  of  the  French  Leeward 
Islands,  and  plenipotentiary  of  his  Most  Christian  Majesty. 

The  said  plenipotentiaries  having  signed  the  said  original  treaty 
by  seniority  of  age,  delivered,  in  consequence,  their  instructions  of 
the  same  date  to  the  undersigned,  Don  Joachim  Garcia,  lieutenant- 
colonel  in  the  army  of  his  Catholic  Majesty,  commanding  the 
infantry  of  the  trained  militia  of  the  Spanish  colony ; and  Hyacinthe 
Louis  Viscount  de  Choiseul,  brigadier  in  the  army  of  his  Most 
Christian  Majesty,  named  as  commissaries  to  put  in  execution  the 
articles  of  the  said  treaty,  which  fix  invariably  the  boundaries  of  the 
possessions  of  the  two  crowns ; to  erect  pyramids,  plant  landmarks, 
where  necessary,  to  preclude  for  ever  hereafter  all  disputes  that  might 
disturb  the  harmony  and  good  understanding  between  the  two 
nations,  and  to  make  out,  with  the  assistance  of  a sufficient  number 
of  engineers,  the  topographical  survey,  to  which  the  undersigned 
refer  for  fuller  explanation ; observing  that  it  has  been  impossible  to 
sign  it,  as  mentioned  in  the  treaty,  by  fhe  chief  engineer,  Mr 
Boisforet,  employed  by  a superior  order  in  the  functions  of  his 
office. 

In  execution  of  the  said  treaty,  the  line  of  demarcation  of  the 
boundaries  begins  on  the  northern  coast  at  the  mouth  of  the  river 
D’Ajabon  or  Massacre,  and  ends  on  the  southern  coast  at  the  mouth 
of  the  river  of  the  Anses  a Pitre  or  Pedernales,  on  the  banks  of  which 
rivers  pyramids  have  been  erected,  as  marked  in  the  plan  ; the  two 
first  bearing  No.  1,  and  the  two  last  No.  221,  with  the  inscriptions 
graved  in  stone,  France^  Espana.  The  plan  clearly  explains  all  the 
rest  according  to  the  real  position ; observing  well  that  when  the 
right  or  left  of  the  line  is  spoken  of,  it  is  meant  the  right  or  left 
according  to  the  route  followed  by  the  commissaries ; and  that,  with 
respect  to  the  rivers  and  streams,  the  right  or  left  means  the  right 
or  the  left  in  going  from  the  source  towards  the  mouth. 

In  going  up  the  D’Ajabon  or  Massacre,  its  waters  and  fishery  in 
common  form  the  line  of  frontier  as  far  as  the  pyramid  No.  2, 
of  the  little  island  divided  by  the  pyramids,  Nos.  3,  4,  5,  and  6, 
conformably  to  the  treaty,  and  as  this  line  is  not  a tangent  one, 
to  the  furthest  elbow  of  the  Bavine  a Caiman,  the  marsh  being 
impassable. 

The  two  pyramids,  No.  7,  mark  that  the  waters  united  into  one 
arm  between  the  two  little  islands,  the  river  becomes  in  common, 
and  forms  the  line  as  below. 

The  second  island  is  divided  by  the  pyramids  from  No.  8 to  No. 
17  inclusively,  as  represented  on  the  plan,  though,  in  conformity  to 
the  treaty,  it  should  be  divided  by  a right  line  from  one  extremity 
to  the  other,  which  forms  a fork  where  the  right  arm  of  the  river  takes 


APPENDATORY. 


501 


the  name  of  Don  Sebastian,  and  the  other  the  name  of  Left  Arm  of 
the  Massacre.  But  the  particular  plan  that  served  as  the  basis  of  this 
article,  representing  the  island  as  an  ellipsis,  and  divisible  only  by 
one  right  line,  was  so  incorrect,  that  it  became  necessary  to  take  a 
new  one,  such  as  it  now  appears  in  the  general  plan ; and  the  island 
has  been  divided  by  two  lines  which  meet,  in  order  to  avoid  doing 
prejudice,  conformably  to  the  fifth  article  of  the  treaty,  to  the 
essential  interests  of  the  vassals  of  his  Catholic  Majesty,  whose  land 
would  have  been  bereft  from  them  by  a division  of  one  right 
line. 

From  the  pyramid  No.  17,  the  river  of  the  Massacre  and  the 
stream  of  the  Capotille  form  the  boundary  of  the  respective  posses- 
sions as  far  as  the  landmark  No.  22.  In  this  interval  there  are  two 
pyramids.  No.  18,  placed  on  the  banks  of  the  Massacre,  which  is 
crossed  by  the  high  road  from  the  town  of  D’Ajabon  to  that  of 
Ouanaminthe ; two  at.  the  mouth  of  the  stream  of  the  Mine,  No.  20, 
and  two  landmarks,  bearing  the  same.  No.  21,  at  the  bottom  of  the 
mouth,  where  are  the  settlements  of  Mr  Graston,  and  where  two 
little  streams  join,  which  form  that  of  Capotille.  The  line  ascends 
along  the  deep -banked  stream  on  the  left  as  far  as  No.  22,  where 
ends  the  plantations  that  it  surrounds  in  going  on  to  No.  23,  and 
the  top  of  the  hill  which  it  runs  along  to  No.  24,  on  the  Piton  des 
Ramiers. 

From  this  point  the  line  runs  to  the  top  of  the  mountains  of  La 
Mine  and  Marigallega,  in  following  the  old  road  of  the  Spanish 
rounds  as  far  as  the  landmark  No.  25,  at  the  point  formed  by  the 
little  savanna  of  Sirop,  on  the  plantation  of  the  late  Mr  Lassalle  des 
Carrieres ; it  continues  along  some  coffee  grounds,  surrounded  with 
a hedge  of  lemon-trees,  belonging  to  the  same  inhabitant,  whose 
overseer  is  Mr  Maingault,  till  it  comes  to  the  Piton  des  Perches,  and 
then  descends  in  a right  line  by  Nos.  26,  27,  and  28,  in  the  savanna 
of  the  same  name,  on  the  right  side  of  which,  and  by  No.  29,  the  line 
ascends  the  Montagne  des  Racines,  that  of  Grand  Selles,  Chocolate,  and 
Coronade,  where  is  placed  No.  30.  Hence,  keeping  the  same  moun- 
tain in  an  open  road,  the  line  comes  to  No.  31,  placed  on  the  slope 
of  the  Piton  de  Bayaba,  where  the  line  cannot  be  mistaken  going 
over  the  summit  of  a mountain,  with  an  open  road  which  runs  over 
the  top  of  the  Morne  a Tenebre  by  No.  32,  over  the  Piton  des 
Essentes  as  far  as  No.  33  of  Filgueral,  leaving  to  the  right  the 
sources  of  Grand  Riviere,  which  run  in  the  French  part,  and,  on  the 
left,  the  head  or  stream  of  the  Eperlins,  which  runs  in  the  Spanish 
part. 

From  No.  33  the  line  continues  along  a well-marked  road,  and 
crosses  some  deep  hollows,  represented  on  the  plan,  till  it  comes  to 


502 


APPEND  ATORY. 


the  Montagne  Traversiere,  on  the  top  of  which,  and  along  by  No. 
34,  it  goes  to  No.  35,  which  cuts  the  stream  called  the  Ruisseau  des 
Sables;  36,  37,  on  the  road,  in  common  along  a great  wood,  38  on 
the  stream  of  Ziguapo  or  Chapelets,  where,  by  the  branches  of  the 
mountain  of  the  same  name,  the  line  comes  to  the  top  of  it  at  No. 
39,  whence  runs  the  branch  or  ridge  called  the  Montagues  des 
Chandeliers,  along  which  the  line  now  goes,  passing  by  the  land- 
marks Nos.  40,  41,  42,  till  it  comes  to  43,  placed  at  the  confluence 
of  the  Ruisseau  des  Chandeliers  and  Grand  Riviere,  having  to  the 
right  the  valley  of  the  river,  and  to  the  left  the  inaccessible  hollow 
of  the  stream. 

From  No.  43,  the  bed  of  Grand  Riviere,  is  the  line  of  boundary 
for  the  two  nations  as  far  as  the  Guardhouse  of  Bahon,  where  is  the 
pyramid  No.  44  and  the  mouth  of  the  stream  of  this  name,  mentioned 
in  the  treaty,  and  which  the  commissaries  could  not  follow  from  the 
Montagne  des  Chapelets  nor  that  of  Chandeliers,  in  their  western 
route,  as  a line  of  boundary,  because  it  rises  far  in  the  south  in  the 
mountains  of  Barrero,  Cannas,  and  Artimisa,  without  forming  a 
junction  with  that  of  the  Chapelets  and  Chandeliers  ; besides,  being 
settled  with  the  Spanish  hattes,  which  are  very  considerable,  and 
which  come  out  to  the  river,  where  they  have  their  plantations, 
provision-farms,  and  ecclesiastical  revenue  lands.  Considering  that 
these  particular  circumstances  could  not  be  known  when  the  treaty 
was  concluded ; and  to  draw  the  line  from  ridge  to  ridge  from  the 
left  bank  of  the  river  to  the  mouth  of  the  stream  of  Bahon,  would 
be  of  no  manner  of  use  to  the  F rench  nation,  from  the  small  quantity 
and  bad  quality  of  the  land  which  would  remain  between  the  line 
and  the  river ; and  considering,  besides,  that  it  would  be  cutting  off 
the  water  from  the  cattle,  which  would  prejudice  the  vassals  of  his 
Most  Catholic  Majesty,  without  benefiting  those  of  his  Most  Chris- 
tian Majesty ; for  these  reasons  the  undersigned  commissaries  have 
agreed,  and  their  generals  have  approved  of  it,  that,  between  the  two 
above  said  Nos.  43  and  44,  the  Grand  Riviere  should  be  the  national 
boundary  ; and  that,  in  order  to  facilitate  the  communication  here, 
the  road  shall  be  in  common,  crossing  the  river  on  one  side  as  on  the 
other,  everywhere  where  the  badness  of  the  road,  or  the  nature  of 
the  land,  or  of  the  said  river,  may  render  it  necessary. 

From  the  Guardhouse  of  Bahon  the  frontier  line  ascends  the  ridge 
which  ends  at  the  pyramid,  and  from  its  summit  it  goes  by  Nos.  45, 
46,  47,  48,  and  49,  in  winding  round  the  present  plantations  of  two 
French  inhabitants,  Couze  and  Laurent,  these  being  on  the  right, 
and  leaving  to  the  left  the  possessions  of  Bernardo  Familias,  till  it 
comes  to  the  Guardhouse  of  the  Valley,  where  the  landmark  50  is 
planted. 


APFENDATORY. 


503 


From  this  point  the  line  ascends  the  mountain  called  the  Montagne 
Noire,  along  a patrole  road  well  known,  and  halfway  up  the  side 
of  the  mountain  is  graven  No.  51  on  two  rock-stones,  with  the 
inscription,  France,  Espana.  On  the  summit  of  the  mountain  is 
placed  No.  52,  at  the  beginning  of  the  present  plantations  of  Mr 
Milscent,  and  the  line  of  boundary  runs  along  his  coffee  plantations, 
which  are  on  the  ridge  in  going  to  the  Nos.  53,  54,  55,  56,  and  57, 
along  the  present  plantations  of  Mr  Jouanneaux,  passing  by  the 
Nos.  58,  59,  to  the  head  of  one  of  the  branches  of  the  Ravin  Sec 
(Dry  Ravine),  and  over  the  Piton  or  bill  of  the  same  name,  to  the 
top  of  the  mountain,  in  keeping  close  to  the  plantations  of  Mr  De  la 
Prunar^de. 

The  Nos.  60  and  61  are  at  the  head  of  the  Ravin  Sec;  62,  63, 
and  64,  on  the  same  ravine,  round  the  present  plantations  of  Mr 
Lariviere  ; and  from  65  to  69  inclusive,  the  line  is  formed  by  the 
boundaries  of  the  plantations  of  Mr  Lasserre,  which  are  on  the  left 
of  the  summit  of  this  mountain.  To  No.  69  the  line  follows  a road, 
in  common,  which  goes,  in  ascending  to  the  top  of  the  mountain, 
and  winds  round  the  plantations  of  Messrs  Potier,  Laleu,  Gerbier, 
and  Beon,  which  lie  on  the  left  with  the  landmarks,  from  No.  70  to 
79  inclusive,  placed  at  the  sources  of  the  Ravin  Mathurin,  on  the 
different  straights  of  which  it  is  formed. 

From  the  Piton  or  eminence,  where  Mr  B4on  is  settled,  the  line 
goes  along  an  open  road  on  the  ridge  as  far  as  No.  -80,  which  is  at 
the  head  of  the  Gorge  Noire,  between  the  present  plantations  of 
Messrs  Colombier,  Mathias,  and  Nolasco,  from  the  house  of  which 
last  the  line  runs  along  the  ridge,  in  descending  to  and  ascending 
from  certain  ravines,  till  it  comes  to  Nos.  81,  82,  and  83,  along  the 
coffee  plantations  of  Duhar  on  the  height,  called  the  height  of  La 
Porte,  which  is  opposite  the  wood  of  the  same  name ; and  on  the 
top  of  the  said  height,  in  an  open  road,  the  line  descends  round  the 
plantation  of  Mr  Dumar  as  far  as  the  pyramid  84,  erected  at  the 
old  Guardhouse  of  the  Bassin  a Cayman,  on  the  left  bank  of  the 
river. 

On  the  right  bank,  opposite  No.  84,  is  the  pyramid  No.  85,  where 
the  plenipotentiaries  placed  the  first  stone  at  the  foot  of  the  hill 
beginning  the  mountain  of  Villa  Rubia ; the  line  goes  now  up  to  the 
top,  where  is  placed  the  landmark  No.  86,  and,  descending  by  one 
of  the  branches  to  No.  87,  it  takes  the  summit  of  the  mountain  on 
the  plantations  of  the  Baronness  de  Piis,  which  it  follows  still,  leav- 
ing the  slope  to  the  right  towards  the  valley  of  Dondon,  and  to  the 
left  in  the  Spanish  part  till  it  comes  to  the  present  plantations  of 
Mrs  Colliere,  which  lie  beyond  the  top  of  the  mountain,  as  well  as 
those  of  Mr  Chiron,  which  have  all  been  enclosed  by  the  landmarks 


504 


APPENDATORY. 


Nos.  88,  89,  90,  91,  and  92,  at  which  fast  the  line  begins  again, 
and  follows  the  ridge  of  the  mountain,  opposite  the  above-mentioned 
valley,  as  far  as  No.  93,  at  the  mountain  called  the  Montagne  des 
Chapelets,  and  from  its  top  it  descends  to  Nos.  94  and  95,  in 
crossing  the  ravine  which  joins  the  plantations  of  Mr  Soubira,  to  come 
to  No.  96,  on  those  of  Mr  Moreau,  and  from  this  point  it  descends, 
in  a right  line,  to  the  river  called  the  Riviere  du  Canot,  on  the  left 
of  which  is  the  pyramid  No.  97,  at  the  point  of  the  opposite  branch 
which  descends  from  the  Marigallega. 

The  frontier  line  now  continues  ascending,  in  a right  line,  to  the 
top  of  the  Kercabras,  No.  98,  and  follows  the  ridge  along  by  the 
plantations  of  MM.  L^cluze  and  Tripier,  as  far  as  Nos.  99  and  100, 
whence  it  turns  round  the  plantations  of  MM.  de  Montalibor, 
Touquet,  and  Gerard,  by  the  landmarks.  Nos.  101,  102,  103,  to  104, 
placed  at  clumps  of  rocks  on  the  height  of  the  settlement  of  Valero, 
and  below  the  second  habitation  of  Touquet  and  Rodanes. 

From  this  point  the  frontier  line  continues,  as  straight  as  it  was 
possible,  by  an  open  road  on  very  rough  ground,  crossing  Red  Stream 
(Ruisseau  Rouge),  No.  105,  and  Ruisseau  Maho  as  far  as  the  land- 
mark 106,  and  then  ascends,  obliquely,  the  mountain  of  the  Gannas 
or  Lataniers,  on  the  summit  of  which  is  No.  107,  whence  it  descends 
to  the  Ravine  a Fourmi,  and  to  the  pyramid  108,  on  the  left  bank, 
between  the  settlements,  now  given  up,  of  the  Spaniard  Lora,  and 
those  of  the  Frenchman  Fauquet,  possessor  of  the  land  known 
in  the  treaty  under  the  name  of  Beau  Foss6,  then  the  partner  of 
Fauquet. 

Crossing  the  Ravine  a Fourmi,  the  line  comes  to  the  pyramid  109, 
at  the  right  side  of  the  branch  by  which  it  ascends  the  mountain  of 
Marigalante,  passing  by  the  Nos.  110,  111,  as  far  as  No.  112,  when 
the  slopes  on  each  side  go,  one  to  the  French  and  the  other  to  the 
Spanish  part,  and  here  it  begins  to  descend  to  get  to  the  mountain, 
from  whence  the  water  runs  into  the  river  called  Riviere  du  Bois 
dTnde,  by  the  landmark  113,  graven  on  a rock;  114  placed  on  a 
branch  of  the  mountain;  115  on  the  stream  called  the  Ruisseau  de 
Roche  Plate ; 1 1 6 on  another  stream  called  Ruisseau  des  Eperlins  ; 
117  on  a ravine  ; 1 1 8 on  the  height  called  Hauteur  Pel^e  del  Dorado ; 
119  at  the  hoUow  called  Gorge  du  Coucher ; 120  at  Brulage  of  the 
Montagne  Sale;  121  and  122  in  the  savanna  of  the  said  mountain, 
on  the  sides  of  the  high  road,  and,  first  ascending  to  the  top,  it  de- 
scends to  No.  123,  which  is  at  the  source  of  the  stream  called 
Ruisseau  a Dentelles,  between  the  said  mountain  Sale  and  the  moun- 
tain called  Montagne  Noire  des  Gonaives,  on  which  the  line  ascends 
by  No.  124  to  125,  where  the  undersigned,  finding  the  summit 
inaccessible,  were  obliged  to  wind  round  it,  through  the  Spanish 


APPENDATORY. 


505 


territory,  to  come  at  the  opposite  side,  in  the  direction  of  the  frontier 
line,  which  as  in  all  other  inaccessible  places,  was  measured  by  the 
rules  of  trigonometry,  from  No.  125,  passing  126  at  the  Piton,  or 
Mount  of  the  Savanna  de  P^ez,  and  127  at  the  Pont  de  Paez,  indi- 
cated by  the  treaty. 

Hence  the  frontier  line  continues  on  towards  the  summit  of  the 
Coupe  a rinde,  passing  by  the  landmark  128,  at  the  hill  called  the 
Petit  Piton  de  Paez;  129  at  a spring  in  the  valley;  130  in  the 
middle  of  the  said  valley,  crossing  the  high  road  called  the  road  of 
Coupe  a rinde,  between  two  mountains  running  along  the  height  to 
where  they  join  again,  and  descending  to  No.  131,  which  is  in  a 
hollow  of  the  said  mountain  Coupe  a I’lnde,  the  ridge  of  which  is 
followed  by  the  line,  passing  No.  132,  on  a rock ; 133  at  the  foot  of 
a clump  of  inaccessible  rocks,  called  Hauteurs  des  Tortues,  as  far  as 
No.  134,  on  the  height  and  on  the  side  of  the  road,  called  Chemin 
de  la  Dbcouverte ; inaccessible  during  the  greatest  part  of  its  ridge, 
as  far  as  the  sources  of  the  Rivibre  du  Cabeuil ; but  notwithstanding, 
the  Nos.  135  and  136,  are  placed  in  the  Valine  des  Cedras,  and  137, 
in  the  Vallee  Polanque ; the  mountain  continues  to  slope  on  one  side 
in  the  Spanish,  and  on  the  other  in  the  French  territory,  the  line  goes 
by  the  landmark  138,  placed  above  the  Sources  du  Cabeuil,  on  the 
mountain  called  by  Spaniards  De  los  Gallarones. 

The’*  line  now  goes  on  above  the  Sources  du  Cabeuil,  and  along  by 
the  landmarks  139  and  140,  on  the  summit  where  the  D^couverte 
joins  to  the  Montagne  des  Cahos,  to  the  landmark  141,  near  the 
plantations  of  Cebere  and  Gui ; it  continues  along  by  the  Nos.  143 
and  144,  graven  on  three  rocks  ; 145,  146,  by  the  side  of  the  present 
plantations  of  Poirier ; 147  and  148,  on  the  land  of  Raulin,  to  149, 
where  it  begins  to  descend,  and  comes  to  the  first  plantation  of  Fieffb, 
going,  on  the  Spanish  side,  the  top  of  the  Montagne  des  Cahos,  and 
which  is  bounded  by  the  landmarks  150,  151,  152,  153,  154,  and 
155,  in  returning  to  take  up  and  follow  the  ridge  as  far  as  the 
second  plantation,  which  joins  that  of  Cazenave,  and  both  these  are 
surrounded  by  the  Nos.  from  156  to  160  inclusive. 

The  line,  passing  by  No.  161,  goes  along  from  summit  to  summit 
on  the  ridge  of  the  mountain  (which  cannot  be  mistaken)  to  the 
landmark  162,  at  the  beginning  of  the  plantation  now  belonging  to 
Perodin,  and  which  is  enclosed  by  the  Nos.  163,  164,  and  165, 
whence  it  takes  again  the  ridge  of  the  mountain  as  far  as  No.  166, 
along  the  present  plantation  of  Cottereau,  lying  over  the  ridge  to 
the  left,  and  enclosed  by  the  landmarks  from  the  said  166  to  171 
inclusive  ; hence  going  along  the  summit  of  a branch  of  the  moun- 
tain, the  line  comes  to  Nos.  172  and  173,  by  the  side  of  the  planta- 
tion of  Ingr^nd,  where  the  summit  becomes  inaccessible  to  the 


.506 


APPENDATORY. 


greatest  height  of  Black  Mountain  (Montagne  Noire)  or  Grand 
Cahos,  the  summit  of  which  marks  the  national  boundaries  as  far  as 
the  falls  of  the  river  called  the  Guaranas,  which  joins  the  White 
River  (Riviere  Blanche)  at  the  place  the  French  call  Trou  d’Enfer, 
where,  on  the  high  road,  is  placed  the  landmark  174. 

From  this  place  the  frontier  line  runs  along  the  ridge  of  the 
mountain  of  Jaiti,  one  slope  of  which  is  in  the  Spanish  and  the  other 
in  the  French  part,  as  far  as  the  summit  called  the  Piton  de 
rOrat)ger,  which  it  goes  straight  over  to  the  landmark  175,  graven 
on  a rock,  and  along  by  the  Nos.  176  and  177,  in  the  flat-land  of 
the  said  mountain,  called  Reposoir  (Resting-place),  continuing  along 
the  possessions  of  Hub6,  and  pursues  its  way  over  the  next  mount 
to  the  No.  178  ; whence  it  goes,  in  descending  along  an  open  well- 
marked  road,  to  No.  179,  in  the  little  savanna  of  Jaiti,  and  then 
continues  on  to  the  great  savanna,  where  formerly  was  the  guard- 
house of  that  name,  crosses  the  savanna  running  towards  south-east 
along  by  the  landmarks  180,  placed  in  the  middle,  and  181,  at  the 
point,  going  in  the  same  direction,  to  the  post  of  Honduras,  crossing 
a very  deep  ravine  running  along  the  branches  of  the  mountain  on 
the  left,  till  it  descends  to  No.  182,  placed  in  the  Savanna  des  Betes 
(Savanna  of  Beasts),  and  to  183  on  the  right  bank  of  the  River 
Artibonite,  which  it  crosses  at  this  point  to  come  to  No.  184,  on  the 
left  bank,  185  on  the  stream  called  the  Ruisseau  d’Isidore,  and 
arrives  at  186,  the  Guardhouse  of  Honduras. 

To  go  up  to  the  summit  of  the  mountain  called  the  Montagne  k 
Tonnerre,  it  passes  a second  time  the  Ruisseau  dTsidore  ; at  No.  187 
the  line  goes  up  again  by  Nos.  188  and  189,  towards  the  ridge,  which 
is  a well-known  boundary  by  the  division  of  the  slopes,  as  far  as 
Nos.  190,  191,  and  192,  to  come  to  the  rock  of  Neybouc,  on  the 
side  of  the  high  road,  and  on  each  side  of  which  are  graven  the 
relative  inscriptions  and  the  No.  193. 

From  the  said  rock  at  the  foot  of  the  height  called  Neybouc,  over 
which  the  line  continues  on,  being  inaccessible,  the  undersigned  went 
to  it  along  the  Spanish  part,  to  place  on  the  summit  the  landmark 
194,  whence  the  line,  in  an  open  and  well-marked  road,  goes  along  the 
height  called  the  Hauteur  de  la  Mahotiere,  and  along  the  ridge  of  the 
mountain  to  descend  (across  a hollow)  to  the  Ravine  Chaude,  which 
it  crosses  near  its  junction  with  the  Riviere  des  Indes  or  Horse-shoe 
River,  which  the  undersigned  crossed  for  the  first  time,  and  placed 
on  the  left  bank  the  landmark  195,  constrained  by  the  badness  of 
the  passage  on  the  right  bank  to  traverse  its  straggling  current  and 
its  little  islands,  to  come  to  the  Guardhouse  of  the  Deep  Valley 
(Corps  de  Garde  de  la  Vall4e  Profonde)  and  to  No.  196,  placed  on 
the  side  of  the  present  plantations  of  Colombier. 


APPENDATORY. 


507 


From  the  said  guardhouse  the  undersigned,  crossing  the  river, 
placed  No.  192  on  a rock  of  the  first  branch,  and  continuing  to  open 
the  line,  in  cutting  the  branches  and  hollows  of  the  great  mountain, 
along  by  the  landmarks  198  and  199,  as  far  as  200,  to  the  Fond  des 
Palmistes,  on  account  of  the  impossibility  of  following  any  one  of 
them,  to  take,  at  No.  201,  the  ridge  which  they  ran  along  by  Nos. 
202  and  203,  as  far  as  204 ; and,  crossing  the  hollow  by  No.  205, 
to  come  at  the  river  Gascogne,  they  placed  the  landmark  No.  206  on 
the  left  bank ; 207  on  a branch  of  the  mountain  ; 208  in  a flat  spot ; 
and  all  the  three  along  by  the  plantations  of  Mousset,  settled  between 
river  Goscogne  and  the  Ravine  des  Pierres  Blanches. 

From  No.  208  the  line  crosses  the  ravine  in  a southern  direction, 
running  along  by  the  settlements  of  Maucler  and  Guerin,  over  the 
branches  of  mountain  which  lead  to  No.  209,  on  the  greatest  height 
of  the  mountain  of  Neybe,  where  are  to  be  seen  the  ponds  ; it 
follows  the  summit  of  this  mountain  as  far  as  No.  210,  where  the  guides 
pointed  out  the  Bajada  Grande  or  Grande  Descente  (Great  Descent), 
adding  that  it  was  impossible  to  continue  the  road  along  the  summit 
of  the  mountain,  designated  in  the  treaty  as  the  national  boundary; 
and  descending  along  the  Spanish  part,  the  undersigned  went  to  the 
foot  of  the  Great  Descent,  and  there  fixed,  on  the  side  of  the  high 
road,  the  landmark  211,  from  which,  crossing  the  lake  or  Etang 
Saumatre,  and  directed  on  the  point  of  the  mountain  which  enters  the 
furthest  into  the  said  lake,  from  the  southern  part,  near  the  Barguadier 
(shipping  place)  of  the  savanna  of  the  White  Ravine  or  Ravine  River, 
the  line  comes  to  No.  212,  graven  on  a rock  at  the  said  point,  whence 
it  ascends  towards  the  summit  of  the  mountain,  goes  by  the  land- 
mark 213  on  the  road  to  the  mountain  called  Montagne  du  Brulage, 
crosses  the  hollow  called  Fond  Granger,  and,  after  rising  to  the 
opposite  height,  descends  to  No.  214,  graven  on  a rock  in  another 
hollow  at  the  bottom  of  the  settlement  of  Pierre  Bagnol,  and  follow- 
ing the  said  hollow,  arrives  at  No.  215,  at  the  junction  of  another 
hollow  at  the  foot  of  the  plantation  of  the  said  inhabitant. 

From  this  point  the  line,  going  in  a southern  direction,  cuts  the 
mountain  on  which  Bagnol  is  settled,  till  it  comes  to  No.  216, 
graven  on  a rock  where  the  White  Ravine  (which  has  not  had  water 
.since  the  great  earthquake),  joins  that  which  takes  its  rise  on  the 
land  of  Beaulieu  and  Soleillet,  to  preserve  their  present  plantations, 
which  are  on  both  sides  of  the  ravine,  and  goes  over  the  top  of  the 
mountain  Majagual  or  the  Mahots,  forming  the  line  as  far  as  the 
branch  which  descends  to  Nos.  217  and  218,  in  two  dry  streams 
along  the  plantations  of  Soleillet. 

The  line  now  continues  by  the  stream  on  the  right,  along  a weU- 
marked  road,  on  the  sides  of  which  all  the  large  trees  are  marked 
(for  want  of  stones  fit  for  landmarks)  as  far  as  the  head  of  the 


508 


APPEND  ATORY. 


Pedernales  or  Riviere  of  the  Anses  a Pitre,  the  line  marking  the 
several  turnings  traced  on  the  plan  across  the  branches,  and  coming 
upon  the  great  mountain,  passing  by  the  Piton  or  Brulage  a Jean 
Louis,  by  the  savanna  of  Boucan  Patate — that  of  the  Discovery  and 
its  Little  Pond — to  the  view  of  the  mountain  of  La  Flor  on  the  left, 
along  the  Dark  Hollow,  the  Source  of  Miseries,  the  settlements  of 
the  runaway  negroes  of  Maniel,  difficult  stream  and  deep  stream ; 
then  coming  to  the  sources  of  the  river  called  by  the  Spaniards 
Pedernales,  and  by  the  French  River  of  the  Anses  k Pitre,  on  the 
banks  of  which  the  undersigned  placed  landmarks,  each  bearing  No. 
219,  with  the  double  inscription. 

The  bed  of  this  river  is  the  boundary  of  the  two  nations  ; it  was, 
followed  down  to  its  mouth,  on  the  southern  side,  observing  that 
along  the  first  part  its  waters  often  disappear.  The  inscription  and 
No.  220  were  graven  on  a rock  in  the  middle  of  the  bed  of  the  river, 
which  does  not  run  at  this  spot ; and  at  its  mouth  are  erected  two 
pyramids.  No.  221  on  the  sides,  with  the  respective  inscriptions,  in 
sight  of  the  two  guardhouses. 

The  undersigned,  in  order  to  execute  this  important  operation  witji 
the  greatest  precision,  have  always  had  before  them  the  treaty  of 
29th  of  February  1776  ; and,  except  the  division  of  the  second  little 
island  and  the  demarcation  of  the  line  between  Nos.  43  and  44,  on 
account  of  the  reasons  above  mentioned,  accompanied  with  a sufficient 
number  of  men  knowing  the  different  places  along  the  line,  besides 
guided  by  their  own  honour,  having  a sincere  desire  to  fulfil  the 
desire  of  their  sovereigns,  in  favour  of  the  good  and  tranquillity  of 
their  respective  subjects,  having  besides  the  example  of  harmony 
and  sincerity  given  them  by  the  plenipotentiaries,  they  have  marked 
out  the  present  plantations,  and  caused  the  inhabitants  who  had 
overshot  the  line  on  either  side  to  draw  back,  according  to  the 
stipulations  of  the  4th  and  5th  articles  of  the  treaty,  and  the  2d, 
6th,  and  7th,  of  the  instructions,  except  Mr  Voisins,  who  is  men- 
tioned as  having  voluntarily  abandoned  his  position ; observing  that 
everywhere  a mandate  was  published  declaring  pain  of  death  against 
any  one  who  should  pull  up,  carry  away,  or  remove  the  landmarks 
or  pyramids  of  the  line,  and  that  every  one  who  should  overshot  it 
should  be  punished  according  to  the  exigency  of  the  case. 

The  commissaries  being  perfectly  agreed  on  all  contained  in  the 
present  description,  written  in  the  Spanish  and  French  languages, 
have  hereunto  set  their  names. 

Done  at  the  Cape,  28th  August  1776. 

Signed,  Choiseul. 

Joachim  Gakcia. 

[For  further  details  see  M.  St  Mery,  “ Spanish  St  Domingo,”  vol.  i.] 


/ 


APFENDATORY. 


509 


NOTES  upon  the  Mines  of  Spanish  St  Domingo,  translated  from 
the  Report  of  Don  Juan  y Nieto  Balcakcel,  Mineralogist  to 
the  King  of  Spain. 

Six  leagues  to  the  east  of  Cotuy  exists  a mine  of  gold,  which  was 
anciently  worked,  and  produced  annually  more  than  a million  of 
crowns ; but  having  fallen  in,  it  has  ever  since  remained  in  this 
state.  I have  been  there  to  examine  it,  and  have  penetrated  to  the 
bottom,  where  it  had  fallen  in.  It  could,  at  an  expense  of  about  a 
thousand  crowns,  be  reworked,  and  the  ore  separated  from  the. water, 
the  ground  being  very  high  and  dry. 

I went  also  to  examine  the  neighbouring  hills,  which  are  of  the 
same  quality. 

At  half  a day’s  journey  farther  east  there  is  a mine  of  blue  copper 
very  rich  in  metal,  containing  a great  quantity  of  ore  ; but  the  pro- 
prietor, who  knew  not  its  richness,  having  died,  as  also  his  slaves, 
the  mine  remained  more  than  thirty  years  without  being  worked. 
I went  there,  and  made  an  assay  of  the  ore  ; I found  it  gave  a fifth 
of  gold ; and  I do  not  doubt  that  this  metal  could  be  found  as  pure 
as  from  its  third  bed. 

It  is  to  be  desired  that  some  capitalists  would  undertake  the 
working  of  this  mine,  which,  as  I have  said,  has  lain  unworked  for 
many  years  ; and  though  Cotuy  has  received  the  patent  of  your 
Majesty,  dated  February  3,  1790,  it  has  not  sought  to  realise  its 
value.  This  is  why  I do  it  to-day,  with  its  consent ; and,  with  the 
aid  of  God,  I hope  that  in  less  than  a year  the  royal  fifths  will  pro- 
duce much.  I hope  also  that,  in  consequence,  laborious  and  enter- 
prising men  will  present  themselves,  who  will  bring  into  value  the 
numerous  mines  of  silver  and  other  ore^  of  which  I possess  a 
knowledge. 

From  this  mine  I have  been  to  examine  that  which  is  in  the  dis- 
trict of  Jarabacoa,  at  one  day’s  journey  from  the  town  . of  La  Vega. 
It  was  previously  worked,  and  contained  a great  quantity  of  silver  ; 
but  being  fallen  in,  it  has  remained  in  this  state.  Beyond  this  are 
some  ancient  establishments  made  by  the  French,  where  can  be 
found  some  very  rich  mines  of  silver,  called  Sami,  which,  according 
to  ancient  tradition,  are  of  a greater  richness  than  those  of  Potosi. 
When  the  French  came  to  e.-^tablish  themselves  in  the  vicinity,  these 
mines  were  worked  by  Don  Diego  de  Cacerees,  who  abandoned 
them.  In  the  Black  Mountain,  “ Sierra  Prieta,”  which  is  very  high, 
there  are  some  mines  of  iron  which  I have  discovered. 

In  the  village  of  Banica,  at  seventy  leagues  from  St  Domingo, 


olO 


APPENDATORY. 


there  exists  a very  abundant  sulphur  mine.  I have  extracted  a small 
quantity  from  it,  which  I discovered  to  be  of  the  best  quality. 

In  the  valley  of  Bani,  part  of  the  south,  there  are  many  quarries 
of  alabaster,  and  there  exists  a great  number  also  in  the  town  of 
Monte  de  Plata  and  the  valley  of  Neyba. 

Not  far  from  the  mines  of  blue  copper,  which  I have  mentioned, 
there  are  two  mines  of  silver. 

In  the  jurisdiction  of  Santiago,  near  to  the  Yaqui  river,  there 
exists  a mine  of  silver,  and  a great  quantity  of  copperas. 

In  the  valley  of  Neyba  is  a mine  of  rock-salt,  of  great  renown, 
and  which  supplies  Santiago  and  several  other  places. 

At  twelve  leagues  from  the  same  town,  in  the  canton  of  Zazica, 
there  has  been  discovered  in  a hill  upon  the  river  a mine  of  silver, 
that  I have  recognised  but  imperfectly,  on  account  of  the  weather. 

In  several  other  places  besides  those  I have  indicated,  I have  had 
information  of  many  other  mines  of  various  metals,  and  particularly 
of  gold,*  silver,  lead,  and  tin. 

In  the  river  Bao,  beyond  Santiago,  in  the  south,  in  crossing  an 
arm  of  this  river,  can  be  seen  a mountain,  of  which  the  ascent  is 
almost  impossible  by  reason  of  its  precipitous  height.  This  moun- 
tain is  the  asylum  of  many  runaway  negroes,  who  have  taken  refuge 
there,  and  who  live  in  a state  of  absolute  liberty.  I learned  from 
some  of  these  negroes  that  this  mountain  contained  much  gold,  of 
which  they  showed  me  some  grains. 

In  the  confines  of  the  jurisdiction  of  the  town,  or  the  valley  of 
San  Juan  and  of  Guaba,  they  showed  me  some  diamonds  found  in 
the  cavities  of  the  hills. 

Upon  the  banks  of  the  river  Bao,  of  which  we  have  just  spoken, 
not  far  from  the  habitation  of  Don  Diego  de  Andujar,  there  is  a 
mine  of  very  rich  gold,  from  which  has  also  been  taken  some 
emeralds.  I went  to  examine  this  mine,  and  it  appeared  that  the 
aborigines  obtained  gold  in  nuggets  from  the  banks  of  the  river  up 
to  the  top  of  the  hill,  upon  which  were  the  walls  of  a convent  of 
Franciscans. 

I went  to  the  mines  of  Guaraguano,  situated  at  ten  leagues  from 
Santiago,  which  had  originally  been  of  great  renown,  but  being  fallen 
in,  they  had  ceased  to  be  worked ; they  are,  however,  very  rich. 

I returned  afterwards  to  Santiago,  from  whence  I went  to  Cienaga, 
that  is  called  very  rich.  In  the  possession  of  Don  Diego  de  Andujar 
is  a place  named  Las  Mazelas,  where  a number  of  persons  were 
lately  occupied  in  getting  out  gold. 

At  Jaina,  near  Buenaventura,  at  the  habitation  Gamboa,  which 
belongs  to  Don  Nicholas  Guridi,  and  which  was  depopulated  by  Don 
Diego  de  Herredia,  in  a place  named  Guayabal,  upon  the  route  from 


APPEND  ATORY. 


511 


La  Vega,  at  half-way  between  that  place  and  Santiago,  is  a mine  of 
silver,  very  rich,  which  has  been  sunk  and  opened,  and  eight  or  ten 
slaves  are  now  at  work  there. 

In  crossing  La  Croix,  in  the  same  canton  of  Arriva,  not  far  from 
San  Miguel,  there  exists  another  mine  of  silver,  also  very  rich,  and 
which  needs  but  some  labourers  to  produce  much. 

In  crossing  the  river  Jaina,  by  the  road  which  conducts  to  San 
Cristobal,  and  to  the  habitation  of  Don  Juan  de  Abedanos,  to  the 
right  of  the  road,  there  exists  a hill  upon  which  grows  not  a single 
plant,  but  which  contains  a mine  of  quicksilver.  I have  hastily 
examined  it. 

In  going  from  St  Domingo  to  the  village  of  Higuey,  near  to  the 
town  of  Seybo,  twenty  leagues  to  the  east,  there  is  found  in  a hill 
a mine  of  tin,  containing  some  portions  which  had  been  founded 
and  worked  by  a goldsmith  of  St  Domingo.  Still  farther  on,  within 
the  limits  of  Higuey,  at  thirty  leagues  from  St  Domingo,  there  is 
another  mine  of  silver  that  the  Indians  worked  formerly,  but  which 
has  since  been  neglected.  According  to  what  many  persons  who  have 
entered  this  mine  and  extracted  ore  have  told  me,  it  is  very  rich,  and 
has  been  but  very  little  worked.  Your  Majesty,  with  few  advances, 
would  be  able  to  draw  from  it  great  profit. 

In  the  mountains  of  Maniel,  distant  twelve  long  leagues  from  St 
Domingo,  there  is  found  much  grain-gold.  These  mountains,  which 
are  called  horrible,  and  which  many  persons  have  attempted  to  pene- 
trate, but  have  been  unable  to  do  so,  are  not  inaccessible  however. 

[H  e also  refers  to  many  other  places  as  containing  various  minerals, 
and  closes  his  report  in  saying] — 

Finally,  I can  compare  this  isle  to  that  of  Tarshish,  from  whence 
Solomon  drew  the  gold  that  he  employed  in  the  ornamentation  of 
his  temple. 


THE  END. 


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